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THE RIFLE RANG OUT 


IN TEXAS WITH 
DAVY CROCKETT 


By 

john t. McIntyre 

«• 


Author of 

“In Kentucky with Daniel Boone,” 
“In the Rockies with Kit Carson” 


Illustrations by 
JOHN A. HUYBERS 



THE PENN PUBLISHING 
COMPANY PHILADELPHIA 
1914 



COPYRIGHT 
19 14 BY 
THE PENN 
PUBLISHING 
COMPANY 



AUG 17(314 

/ o-yj- 

©CI.A379125 

/ 


Contents 


I. 

Down the Mississippi . 


7 

II. 

The Plot 


21 

III. 

The Quarrel 


33 

IV. 

The Fight . 


48 

V. 

Davy Crockett 


64 

VI. 

Bear Hunting 


81 

VII. 

Surprising News . 


99 

VIII. 

A Little Joke 


112 

IX. 

Texas .... 


121 

X. 

Attacked by Comanches 


136 

XI. 

The Buffalo Hunt 


149 

XII. 

A Fight With Mexicans 


162 

XIII. 

The Plotters Once More 


172 

XIV. 

The Battle of the Alamo 


189 

XV. 

Sketch of the Life of 
Crockett 

David 

• • 

202 


3 



% 


Illustrations 


The Rifle Rang Out . 

u Don’t Let Him Cripple You ” 

The Comanches Had Remounted 

A Desperate Hand-to-Hand 
Ensued . . 


PAGE 

. Frontispiece 

. 54 

. 141 

Conflict 

. . 198 


In Texas With Davy Crockett 


# 



In Texas With Davy 
Crockett 


CHAPTER I 

DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI 

The towering stacks of the steamboat 
“ Mediterranean ” sent their clouds of smoke, 
black and wind rent, across the sky ; her 
sharp bow cut the yellow waters of the 
Mississippi and dashed the spray as high as 
her rails. 

The cabins were thronged with passen- 
gers ; the forward deck was tiered high with 
bales and barrels and boxes of merchandise. 

Two boys sat by the rail upon the upper 
deck ; their faces were earnest and they 
talked in low tones. 

“ Are you quite sure that Sam Davidge 
is on board, Walt? ” asked one. 

7 


IN TEXAS 


“ I'd know him among a whole city-full, 
let alone a cabin-full/' answered Walter 
Jordan. “ And I've seen him three times 
to-day." 

The other boy frowned and looked out 
over the wide river toward the Arkansas 
shore. 

“ It's queer," said he. “ It's very queer 
that he should just happen to be going 
down the river at the same time we are." 

Walter Jordan gave his friend a quick 
look. 

“ Ned," said he, “ chance has nothing to 
do with it — as I think you know." 

Ned Chandler nodded. 

“ He's on board because we are ; he's try- 
ing to find out where we are going." The 
boy ran his fingers through his short light 
hair, and his blue eyes snapped. “ I never 
did think much of Davidge ; and I think 
less of him now than I did before." 

Walter Jordan leaned back in his chair 

and clasped one knee with his hands. He 
8 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


was a tall, well-built young fellow of eight- 
een with a broad chest and shoulders, and 
a good-looking, resolute face. 

“ When we boarded the 'General Greene’ 
at Louisville,” said he, “ I thought I saw 
Davidge in the crowd. But you know what 
a miserable, wet night it was and how the 
lamps on the pier flickered. So I couldn’t 
be sure.” 

“ You never mentioned it to me,” said 
Ned, complainingly. 

“ I didn’t want to until I was sure. I 
thought there was no use getting up an 
excitement about a thing that might turn 
out to have nothing behind it.” 

From somewhere around the high tiers 
of bales, a negro deck hand picked a tune 
out of a banjo ; and the rhythmic shuffle 
and pit-pat-pit of feet told of another who 
danced to the music. 

"All the way down the Ohio on the 
‘ Greene ’ I noticed you were very quiet and 
watchful,” spoke young Chandler. “ But 
9 


IN TEXAS 


to me it only meant that you were careful. 
I never thought of anything else.” 

Walter Jordan looked at his friend, and 
there was a troubled look in his eyes. 

“ And Sam Davidge isn’t all we have to 
worry us,” said he, in a lower tone. “ When 
we reached the Mississippi, and changed to 
this boat, I noticed something else.” 

Ned caught the troubled look, and though 
he did not in the least suspect the cause of it, 
his own round face took on one just like it. 

“ What was it? ” he asked. 

“ Have you seen a man on board whom 
they all call Colonel Huntley ? ” 

Ned’s eyes went to the cabin door where 
he had noticed two persons a few moments 
before ; the two were still there and intently 
examining them. 

“ Yes,” said Ned. “ I know whom you 
mean.” 

“ I didn’t understand it, and I don’t like 
it,” said Walter, the troubled look growing 

deeper, “ but there is never a time I look 
io 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

toward him that I don’t find his eyes upon 
me.” 

“ Humph ! ” said Ned. And then : “ Well, 
Walt, he’s not changed his ways any. 
Don’t look around just yet, or he’ll see that 
we’ve been speaking of him. He’s over by 
the cabin door behind you, and he’s looking 
this way for all he’s worth.” 

“ Alone ? ” asked Walter. 

“ No. That fellow Barker is with him.” 

“ Barker’s like his shadow,” said Walter. 
“ You never see one without the other.” 

Colonel Huntley was a man of perhaps 
forty years, tall and powerfully built. He 
wore a long frock coat of gray cloth, doe- 
skin trousers, and long shining boots. Upon 
his head was a bell-crowned beaver hat with 
a curling brim. In the immaculately white 
stock about his neck was a large diamond 
set in rough gold. 

The person beside him was a young fellow 
of perhaps twenty, with huge, thick shoul- 
ders and a round bullet head. 


ii 


IN TEXAS 


“ Tell me/’ said Ned, his eyes upon the 
two but his mind, apparently, upon a sub- 
ject altogether foreign to them, “ do you 
think Colonel Huntley has anything to do 
with Davidge ? ” 

“ I feel sure of it,” replied Walter. 
“ When either of us is about, Sam keeps 
hidden. But when the coast’s clear, or they 
think it is, he is to be seen in out-of-the-way 
corners, earnestly discussing something with 
Colonel Huntley.” 

“ I can see that I’ve been missing a great 
deal,” said young Chandler. “ But that’s 
past. In the future I’m going to keep both 
eyes wide open. Earnest conversation in 
out-of-the-way corners means only one 
thing. And that is : that something is 
under way which has a good bit to do with 
our trip to Texas.” 

There was a silence for a space. Ned con- 
tinued covertly to inspect the two at the 
cabin door. Walter gazed ahead along the 

broad stretch of the Mississippi ; on the left 
12 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


was the thickly timbered shore of Tennessee; 
and that of Arkansas frowned at them from 
the right. 

The “ Mediterranean ” was a large boat ; 
she was deeply loaded with cargo and car- 
ried a great throng of passengers. But pas- 
sengers were always plentiful in those early 
days of the year 1836 ; for the situation be- 
tween Texas and Mexico had grown acute ; 
war had spread its sombre wings for a ter- 
rible flight across that new land ; the ad- 
venturers and soldiers of fortune of the 
States were swarming toward the south- 
west. 

Those men who had fought in the many 
wars with the Indians, who had carried the 
line of the frontier forward step by step, 
who had leveled the wilderness and sub- 
dued the forces which spring up in the path 
of civilization, had long ago turned their 
eyes toward the vast empire north of the 
Rio Grande. They saw it loosely held by 
an inferior race ; they saw a hardy, fearless 

13 


IN TEXAS 


band of Americans resisting oppression and 
preparing to repulse the advance of Santa 
Anna. And so each steamer down the 
Mississippi carried a horde of them, armed 
and ready to do their part. 

Since boarding the boat the boys had 
heard little else but Texas. The name 
seemed to be on every tongue. And even 
now, as they sat thinking over the turn 
that seemed to have taken place in their 
own affairs, the loud voices that came to 
their ears from the cabin held to the sub- 
ject. 

“ A pack of mongrels, that’s what they 
are,” said a voice above the clatter. “ And 
not a good fight among them. The idea of 
their trying to dictate to a free people like 
the Texans what shall and what shall not 
be done.” 

Another man seemed stunned by the im- 
mense area of the new land. 

“ Just think of the size of it ! ” cried he, 
in high admiration. “ Eight hundred and 

14 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


twenty-five miles long, and seven hundred 
and forty miles wide. It's twice as big as 
Great Britain and Ireland, and bigger than 
France, Holland, Belgium and Denmark 
put together.” 

“ Who says a country like that is not 
worth fighting for?” shouted another voice. 
“ Who says it shouldn’t belong to these 
United States ? ” 

“ Let Santa Anna poke his nose across the 
Coahuila line, and he’ll get it cut off with a 
bowie knife,” said still another adventurer. 

“ It seems to me,” said Walter Jordan, 
“ that we couldn’t have had a worse time to 
carry out our errand to Texas than just 
now. The closer we get to it, the more war- 
like things are.” 

Ned Chandler looked at his friend in sur- 
prise. 

“ What, Walter,” said he, “ you’re not 
holding back because things are not all quiet 
and orderly, are you ? ” 

Walter smiled. 


i5 


IN TEXAS 


“ I’m headed for Texas, and going as fast 
as this boat will take me/’ said he. “ And 
I mean to keep on going until I get there 
and do what we set out to do.” 

Ned laughed in a pleased sort of way. 
There was a light of adventure in his eyes. 

“ Why do you object to the coming war 
with the Mexicans, then ? ” said he. “ That 
will make only the more fun on our trip 
south.” 

“ But fun is not what we’ve come for,” 
said Walter. “ We’ve got a purpose in view, 
and until that’s accomplished, we must 
think of nothing else.” 

Ned grew more sober. 

“ Right you are,” said he. “ Not a thing 
must enter our minds but the one thing, 
until it’s done. But after that,” and his 
eyes began to dance once more, “ we can 
take time to look around us a bit, can’t 
we?” 

“ Why, I suppose that would do no harm. 

But mind you, Ned, not until then.” 

16 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ Not for a moment,” said Ned Chandler. 
“ You can count on me, Walt.” 

Again there was a silence between them, 
and once more the voices came from the 
cabin. 

“ I know the settlement of Texas from 
start to finish,” said the loud-voiced man. 
“ First the French built a fort ; then they 
left, and the Spanish came and built mis- 
sions, and called the state the New Philip- 
pines, and began to fight the Comanche and 
Apache. When the United States bought 
the Louisiana territory from France, trouble 
began with Spain. We claimed everything 
north of the Rio Grande ; but the Span- 
iards said the Sabine was the natural 
line.” 

“ I recall the things that followed that,” 
said another voice. “ I was quite a young- 
ster then, and was in New Orleans. Every 
little while expeditions were formed to in- 
vade Texas and fight the Spanish. One, I 
remember, was while the war with England 

17 


IN TEXAS 


was going on ; and the Spanish were licked, 
losing a thousand men.” 

“ Then Steve Austin went into the terri- 
tory and planted a colony,” went on the 
first speaker. “ The new Mexican republic 
stuck Coahuila on to Texas and tried to 
make one state of them. But when the 
Americans in the country got a little 
stronger they rebelled against this, passed a 
resolution and sent it to Santa Anna, ask- 
ing that Texas be admitted into the repub- 
lic as a separate state.” 

“ They might have known that he 
wouldn't listen to such a thing,” said the 
other man. “ 1 The Napoleon of the West 9 
he likes to be called, but a more detest- 
able tyrant never oppressed an honest 
people.” 

“ Well, when he tried to go against the 
will of Texas, they gave him right smart 
whippings at Goliad and Concepcion, 
elected Smith governor, and Sam Houston 

commander of the army. Then they 
18 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

smashed into San Antonio and ran the 
Mexicans out of Texas.” 

“ Nothing will ever come of it until they 
cut away from Mexico for good and all,” 
said the second man. “ I’m not for Texas 
as an independent state in the Mexican Re- 
public. What I want to see, and what 
thousands of others want to see, is Texas, a 
republic itself, entirely free of Mexico, or 
else Texas, a state in our own Union.” 

This saying met with much favor ; the 
babble of voices arose, mingled with the 
clapping of hands. 

“ For,” went on the speaker, raising his 
voice that he might be heard, “ as long as 
they stick to Mexico, just that long will 
they keep in hot water. Santa Anna may 
be, at this minute, marching against them 
with an army. And he will keep on 
marching against them until they make 
themselves altogether independent of him 
and his gang.” 

Here Walter Jordan arose. 

19 


IN TEXAS 


“ Let’s go inside,” said he. “ They all 
seem to be quite interested.” 

Ned also got up. 

“ Do you think there will ever be such a 
thing as the Texas republic ? ” said he. 

Walter shrugged his shoulders. 

“ It’s hard to say. But if the Texans are 
anything at all like what I hear they are, 
it wouldn’t surprise me if it came about some 
day.” 

And so they turned toward the cabin door, 
and Walter found himself face to face with 
Colonel Huntley. 




20 


CHAPTER II 


THE PLOT 

Colonel Huntley had cold gray eyes 
which, when he chose, had an insult in 
their every glance. And now, as Walter 
Jordan’s eyes met his, he never stirred from 
the cabin door. Quietly the lad stood and 
looked at him ; and the cold, valuing eyes 
were filled with mockery. 

“ Do you want anything?” he asked, 
sneeringly. 

“ I wish to go into the cabin,” replied the 
boy. “ Will you kindly step out of the 
way ? ” 

Colonel Huntley laughed in an unpleas- 
ant manner, but did not move. 

“ I think,” said he, “ I’ve seen you some- 
where before.” 

“ Perhaps,” said the boy. 

21 


IN TEXAS 


“ You’re the son of Carroll Jordan, 
attorney, at Louisville?” said Colonel 
Huntley. 

“ I am,” said Walter. 

“ I knew your father,” sneered Huntley. 

“ If you did,” came the boy’s swift reply, 
“you knew one of the finest gentlemen in 
Kentucky.” 

The mockery in Huntley’s eyes increased. 

“ That depends altogether on how one 
looks at it,” said he. 

When Walter Jordan spoke there was a 
ring in his voice which Ned Chandler knew 
well. 

“ Looked at in the right way,” said the 
lad, “ and by that I mean the way in which 
any fair and honest person would look at 
it, there can be only one opinion. And that 
is the one which I have given.” 

The bullet-headed young man grinned 
widely, showing a row of strong teeth, with 
wide spaces between them. He nodded to 
Colonel Huntley. 


22 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ That's talking," said he. “ Right to 
your face, too." 

Huntley had a satisfied look in his face ; 
his cold eyes examined Walter from head 
to foot. Ned Chandler plucked at his 
friend's sleeve, and breathed into his ear. 

“ Look out ! He's trying to get you into 
some kind of a muss." 

“ So," spoke Huntley, and his tones were 
as cold as his eyes, “ you don’t consider me 
either fair or honest, then ? " 

Walter met the man's look steadily. 

“ I have not mentioned you," said he. “ I 
referred to those persons who might, as you 
suggested, speak ill of my father. You have 
not said what you thought, sir." 

Again Huntley laughed his unpleasant 
laugh. 

“ You are something of a diplomat," said 
he. “ Or, had I better say, a dodger." 

“ Why, if I cared to," said Walter, quietly, 
“ I might say almost the same thing of your- 
self. Put yourself on record — say openly 

23 


IN TEXAS 


what you mean, and I will give you an an- 
swer, plain enough for you or anybody else.” 

There was a silence after the boy’s bold 
words. Ned Chandler’s eyes snapped with 
delight, for here was a chance for excite- 
ment. Colonel Huntley hesitated — not at 
all because he had not a ready word or act, 
but apparently because he feared to trust 
himself. It was his bullet-headed compan- 
ion who spoke. 

“ I’ve heard of your father,” said he. 
“ I’ve been told of the little game he’s up 
to ; and I think he’s trying to feather his 
own nest.” 

Apparently stung to the quick, young 
Jordan whirled upon the speaker, his hand 
drawn back for a blow. But he felt an iron 
clutch on his wrist, and saw the burly chief 
mate of the “ Mediterranean ” at his side. 

“ None of that,” said the mate, sternly. 
“ No fighting here. There are women pas- 
sengers, you know.” 

The bullet-headed * youth had stepped 
24 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


aside at Walter’s first swift motion ; this 
left a space in the cabin doorway, and seiz- 
ing the chance, Ned Chandler crowded his 
friend through and pushed him along the 
full length of the men’s cabin, in spite of 
his efforts to halt. 

“ Now,” said the light-haired boy, when 
they finally brought up in an unoccupied 
corner, “ before you say anything, let me 
tell you what I think.” He shoved his 
hands down into his trousers pockets, and 
eyed his friend calmly. 

“ You were a little excited out there,” said 
he, “ and maybe you didn’t see what I saw.” 

“ I saw that Colonel Huntley deliberately 
set out to insult me,” said Walter, his eyes 
glinting with anger, his fists clenched. 

“ That’s true,” said Ned, coolly. “ So he 
did. And more than that.” 

Walter looked at his friend, for in his 
tone he noted a something which attracted 
his attention. 

“ What do you mean ? ” he asked. 

25 


IN TEXAS 


“The whole thing was arranged,” said 
Ned, nodding his head assuredly. “ Those 
two planted themselves in the doorway to 
wait for you. Colonel Huntley was to pro- 
voke you, and that fellow Barker was to 
step in at the right moment and pick a 
fight with you.” 

Walter threw up his hand and his angry 
eyes sought the length of the men’s cabin. 

“ Well,” said he, his hands tightly 
clenched, “ it’s not too late, if he’s still 
of the same mind.” 

But Ned Chandler shook his head ; ap- 
parently he did not agree with his friend’s 
present humor. 

“ I know how you must feel,” said he, 
“ to hear your father badly spoken of in a 
thing like this. He’s giving his money 
and his time and his learning to do a thing 
which will never bring him a penny of 
gain. He’s sending you on a mission to 
a distant place like Texas, just because 
he wants to see right done. And to hear 
26 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


people say things, like those Huntley and 
Barker have said, is hard to bear. But 
you must bear it.” 

“ I will not ! ” said Walter steadily, his 
eyes still searching the cabin for the two 
men. 

As a rule, young Jordan was the cooler 
and more thoughtful of the two boys. 
Ned was the impulsive one, the plunger 
into adventure, a rollicking, harum-scarum 
youngster. But, so it seemed, what had 
been said against his father had stirred 
Walter deeply and made him throw his 
usual caution aside. And seeing this, Ned, 
who was observant enough when he was 
so inclined, had seized the helm and was 
now guiding the craft of their fortunes. 

“ Such people as those,” said Walter, “are 
of the sort who make a business of bully- 
ing. They try to browbeat every one they 
meet ; and they are encouraged by people’s 
giving in to them. And I don’t mean to 
do that.” 


27 


IN TEXAS 


“ That Barker has a bad look,” said Ned, 
“and he's a pretty strong-looking fellow. 
No, no,” hastily, as he caught sight of the 
expression that came into his friend's face, 
“ of course his strength wouldn't make any 
difference to you. But take a look at it 
from the other side. These two haven't 
planned this thing with just the idea of 
getting you into a fight. They are deeper 
than that.” He put his hand upon Walter's 
arm. “ Suppose,” said he, in a lower tone, 
“ you were hurt. What then ? ” 

Walter looked at young Chandler, and 
gradually the expression of his face changed. 

“ Our trip to Texas would be delayed,” 
said he. 

“ That’s it,” said Ned. “ And they would 
get there ahead of you ; and the thing your 
father is so set on doing for this girl in 
Texas would never be done.” 

The anger had now altogether left Walter 
Jordan's face ; he laid his hand upon Ned’s 
shoulder. 


28 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ You are right,” said he. “ I see it now. 
That's just what they are after. And I see 
Sam Davidge’s hand in it. He’s planned 
it with them.” 

The two sat down upon chairs in the 
corner to discuss this new aspect. The 
men’s cabin was crowded with all sorts of 
travelers ; and the clatter and rumble of 
voices went on with the regularity of the 
engine’s throb. Almost every walk of life 
was represented among the passengers. 
Planters on the way down the river to 
Natchez or New Orleans ; sharpers on the 
lookout for some easy means of gaining 
money ; slave dealers, the sellers of planta- 
tion requirements, steamboat men, drovers, 
adventurers and desperadoes on their way 
to the new country — Texas. 

These latter were easily known by their 
dress and manner. Some were elegantly 
attired in the fashion of the time, others 
wore flannel shirts and wide-rimmed hats, 

and had the legs of their trousers stuffed 
29 


IN TEXAS 


into long leather boots. Still another class 
possessed the hunting shirt, deerskin leg- 
gings and coonskin cap of the backwoods- 
man. All were armed with pistol, knife 
and rifle ; and all had the free, loud, 
independent ways of their kind. 

“ Texas,” declared the man with the 
strong voice which the lads had heard 
while upon the deck, “ was never made for 
Mexicans. It’s a great country, and none 
but white men are fit to own it. I, for one, 
am going down there with a rifle that can 
snuff out a candle at fifty yards, and I’m 
going to have a personal word for Santa 
Anna if I ever run across him.” 

A shout went up from the adventurers, 
rifle butts rattled upon the cabin floor and 
brawny fists thumped tables and the arms 
of chairs. 

“ Now you’re shouting ! ” cried another 
man, a lank backwoodsman in a fringed 
buckskin shirt. “ Let them stop palaver- 
ing and get to work. Greasers’ll never do 
30 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


anything but talk if you talk with them. 
Lead’s my way of conversing with such 
folks — lead out of a rifle barrel, and with a 
good eye behind it.” 

“ What’s the committee that’s got charge 
of things doing down there?” asked a booted 
and burly man in a soiled flannel shirt and 
a huge Remington revolver sticking in his 
belt. “ Why don’t they get to some kind 
of an agreement, and let Sam Houston 
loose to march against the Greasers. As 
my friend here says, talk’s no good, if it’s 
not backed up by rifles. What they need 
is to give Houston about five thousand men 
who know how to shoot, and in three 
months’ time you’ll never hear another 
word from Santa Anna and his gang.” 

While they talked, the boys kept their 
eyes fixed upon the people in the cabin, 
watching for Huntley or his shadow. 
Just then the whistle of the steamboat 
shrieked and the engine slowed down in 
answer to the pilot’s bell. 

3i 


IN TEXAS 


“ We’re about to make a landing,” said 
Ned, his gaze going to a window. “ See 
how near the Tennessee shore is.” 

“ It’s a place called Randolph,” said a 
planter who sat near by. 

“ Going to take on some passengers, I 
suppose,” said Ned. 

“ And while the boat’s doing that,” said 
Walter, steadily watching two figures who 
were pushing their way through the 
crowded cabin toward them, “ I think you 
and I’ll be entertaining Colonel Huntley 
and his friend Mr. Barker.” 


CHAPTER III 


THE QUARREL 

Ned Chandler looked toward the place 
indicated by his friend and, sure enough, 
he saw Huntley and Barker approaching. 

“ Take care,” said Ned, warningly, but 
with his blue eyes snapping. “ Don’t get 
yourself hurt. But if they crowd trouble 
on you, don’t step back. Give them all 
they want.” 

If Walter Jordan expected Colonel Hunt- 
ley to open hostilities when he approached, 
he merely showed that he did not know 
the methods of that gentleman. As a mat- 
ter of fact, Huntley did not appear to 
notice either of the two young fellows ; 
Barker, however, gave Walter a lowering 
sidelong look as he took a vacant chair 
near the one newly occupied by the colonel. 

“ Well, Huntley,” said one of those 
33 


IN TEXAS 

near by, “ it's rather a surprise to see you 
on board.” 

“ I didn't expect to be, up to a very few 
days ago,” said the colonel. He placed his 
feet, with insolent deliberation, upon the 
small table upon which young Jordan was 
leaning, and began to slap at his boot leg 
with the light stick which he carried. “ A 
thing came up which I had to attend to in 
a hurry.” 

“ I see,” said the other. “ Going down to 
New Orleans, I suppose? ” 

“ No,” replied Colonel Huntley, “ I'm 
going to Texas.” 

The cold eyes of the man, as he said this, 
fixed themselves upon Walter; the sneer 
was once more upon his lips. The young 
fellow regarded him with no trace of the 
hot anger of a short time before ; neverthe- 
less there was that in his manner which said 
as plainly as words that he was no more in- 
clined to accept an affront then than he had 
been before. 


34 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ Go on,” said the steady, watchful eyes. 
“ Til say nothing if I’m not pushed to it. 
But, you know, there’s a line which you 
must not cross.” 

The man whom Huntley addressed looked 
amazed at his statement. 

“Texas!” exclaimed he. “ Why, I had 
no idea that you were interested in the 
liberation of that territory.” 

Both Colonel Huntley and Barker 
laughed. 

“ I’m not,” said the colonel. “ My mis- 
sion is something else.” He looked at the 
other inquiringly. “ You remember Tom 
Norton, who once ran a newspaper at Nash- 
ville?” 

“ Of course,” said the other. “ Very well. 
And his wife and little daughter.” 

“ Tom went to Texas,” said Huntley. 

“ I understood he started another paper 
at Natchez,” said the man. 

Huntley nodded. 

“ He did. But like the one at Nashville, 
35 


IN TEXAS 


it didn’t last long. He took his family to 
Texas, and settled at San Antonio. Both 
Tom and his wife are dead. The girl is 
grown up and is still at San Antonio.” 

“ I see,” said the other, and looked at 
Huntley with the expression of a man who 
knows that more is coming. 

“ Norton had some rich relations at Louis- 
ville ; they’ve gone too, and have left a for- 
tune to the girl, who knows nothing at all 
of it.” 

“ And so you are on your way to San 
Antonio to tell her ? ” 

“ Yes, to tell her ; and also to keep her 
out of the clutches of a hawk of a Louisville 
lawyer who’s interested himself in the case.” 

Ned Chandler looked at his friend ; but 
Walter was still quiet and still had the 
steady look in his eyes. 

“ Good enough,” thought Ned. “ He’ll 
not do anything unless they force him.” 

“ So,” said the planter, who was convers- 
ing with Colonel Huntley, “ the birds of 
3b 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


prey have smelled out the money, have 
they ? ” 

“ Yes,” replied the colonel, switching at 
his boot leg with the stick. “ As soon as 
the news went abroad that there was a rich 
haul to be had, this particular shark began 
to stir himself. He claims to be the executor 
of the estate ; he has a lot of useless papers, 
and has sent emissaries to Texas to get pos- 
session of the girl.” 

The planter laughed. 

“ Well, he’s energetic, at all events,” said 
he. “ But what’s his name ? ” 

“ Jordan,” answered Huntley. 

An exclamation of surprise came from the 
planter. 

“ Not Carroll Jordan ! ” said he. 

“ The same,” said Huntley, nodding. 

“ You amaze me,” said the planter. 
“ This is the first time I ever heard any- 
thing said against Counsellor Jordan. As 
far as I’ve ever been able to learn, he’s rated 
as high as justice itself.” 

37 


IN TEXAS 


Huntley shook his head ; from the cor- 
ners of his cold eyes he watched the young 
man opposite him. 

“ That's what the public thinks," said he. 
“ And the public seldom gets at the truth 
of things." 

The planter seemed puzzled. 

“ Maybe so," said he, not at all con- 
vinced. “ But somehow I can't get it into 
my mind as a fact. If you were talking 
of a sharper such as Sam Davidge, that 
other Louisville attorney, I could under- 
stand it." 

Ned Chandler noted the expression that 
crossed the face of Colonel Huntley at this 
and he choked back a chuckle. Young 
Jordan leaned forward, quietly. 

“ I beg your pardon, sir," said he to the 
planter ; “ but it might interest you to 
know that, in the case you are discussing, 
Sam Davidge is on the other side." 

The planter seemed surprised both at 
the statement and at Walter's interruption. 

38 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


His eyes went to Huntley. But the latter 
said nothing. It was Barker who spoke. 

“ Look here,” said the bullet-headed per- 
sonage to young Jordan. “ What do you 
mean by forcing yourself into a conversa- 
tion which does not concern you ? ” 

The young fellow looked at him, still 
quietly. 

“ I think you are mistaken,” said he. 
“ The conversation does concern me inti- 
mately.” Then turning to the planter he 
added, “ You'll understand that, sir, when 
I tell you that I am the son of Carroll 
Jordan whom Colonel Huntley has seen fit 
to slander.” 

Huntley's cold eyes stared into those of 
the speaker ; he lounged back in his chair, 
and when he spoke his voice was menacing. 

“ This is the second time in the last half 
hour,” said he, “ that you've taken occasion 
to rub me the wrong way. If you were 
well acquainted with me you wouldn't do 
it.” 


39 


IN TEXAS 


“ I think/’ returned the young man, 
calmly, “ that I am as well acquainted with 
you as I care to be. Your method of doing 
things, Colonel Huntley, is not to my taste. 
I dislike a man who sets out to insult some 
one whom he’s opposed to, and then steps 
aside so that some one in his pay may do 
the dirty work.” 

“ What’s that?” snarled Barker, rising to 
his feet. 

“ Your plan, Colonel Huntley,” went on 
Walter Jordan, disregarding the bullet- 
headed young man entirely, and address- 
ing himself to his principal, “ is rather a 
good one, as plans go. You would get the 
result you are after, and yet would not act- 
ively figure in the matter. I suppose Sam 
Davidge arranged that with you in the secret 
consultations you’ve been having in the 
last little while.” 

Barker, an ugly expression upon his face, 
tapped young Jordan on the shoulder. 

“ Talk to me,” said he. “ You’ve said I 
40 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


do some one’s dirty work ; and so I’m 
going to give you a chance to prove it.” 

But here Ned Chandler pushed himself 
between the two. 

“ In a few minutes,” said he to Barker, 
and there was no mistaking his meaning, 
“ you’ll have everything proved to your 
satisfaction, and in any way you care to 
have it done. So step back and don’t 
worry.” 

“ The whole thing,” proceeded Jordan to 
Colonel Huntley, and still in the coolest 
possible manner, “ looks like one of Da- 
vidge’s shrewd tricks. He knew, some- 
how, where I was going. He followed, 
skulking in the background. In some way 
he must prevent my getting to Texas. He 
took you into his council. You had a way. 
You’d provoke me into a quarrel and then 
set this hound on me,” pointing to the 
snarling Barker, “ in the hope that he’d in- 
jure me.” 

Slowly Colonel Huntley took his booted 
4i 


IN TEXAS 


feet from off the table ; with equal slowness 
he arose to his feet. His cold, light eyes 
had the deadly look that comes into those 
of the cat tribe when about to spring. 

“ I’ve listened to what you’ve had to 
say,” said he, evenly. “ And now you will 
listen to me. You’ve openly and deliber- 
ately insulted me.” 

The palm of young Jordan’s hand came 
down with a smack upon the table. 

“ I am the insulted one,” said he. “ You 
put yourself in my way a while ago to insult 
me. You followed me here to renew your 
slander when I tried to avoid you. But 
what I have said concerning you is the 
truth. You are associated with Davidge in 
his plot to get possession of Ethel Norton’s 
estate. I charge you with that to your 
teeth ; and here I am to back it up.” 

The cold look in Huntley’s face was now 
one of triumph. 

“ If you were old enough and worth my 

attention in a practical way,” said he, 
42 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

calmly, “ I’d take you ashore and shoot you 
after the accepted code. But as I can’t 
bother myself with you, I’ll turn you over 
to my friend here ; for you have affronted 
him as much as you have myself. And 
perhaps he’ll care to pay some attention to 
you.” 

Ned Chandler grinned at this. 

“ Still sticking to your little arrange- 
ment, eh, colonel?” said he. “Ah, well, 
there’s nothing in the world like being 
steadfast.” 

“ Colonel Huntley can suit himself in 
this thing,” said Barker, his heavy face 
fixed in a scowl. “ But I’ll do the same. 
If it’s his notion to pass this matter by, all 
very well. But I will not. You’ve said 
something to me, and about me, that was 
meant to be offensive ; and you’ve got to 
give me satisfaction.” 

During the progress of this altercation, 
all other conversation in the cabin of the 
“ Mediterranean ” had gradually ceased. 

43 


IN TEXAS 


All eyes were now upon Water Jordan and 
the threatening figure of Barker ; for it 
looked as though the bullet-headed one 
would spring at the young fellow’s throat 
at any instant. And the idea of an im- 
pending fight was pleasing to the wild 
spirits which crowded the boat ; for conflict 
was the breath of their nostrils. 

“ Who’s the fellow who’s looking so 
tarnation mad?” asked a lank backwoods- 
man who nursed a long rifle across his 
knees. “ He puts his head down like a 
wild buffalo.V 

“ His name’s Barker,” said a traveler. 
“ I’ve been up and down the river for the 
last five years, and in that time he’s gained 
a wide reputation as a rough-and-tumble 
fighter.” 

“ I’ve heard of him,” spoke a flannel- 
shirted adventurer, hitching at the belt 
which supported a pair of huge revolvers. 
“Almost killed a man at Nashville not 
long ago.” 


44 


/ 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

“ The other one don't look to be the same 
kind of a critter," said the backwoodsman. 
“ Kind of better bred and not so rugged in 
the shoulders." 

“ He looks as though he could give a 
good account of himself, though," put in 
the commercial drummer. “ I'd give a nice 
sum to see Barker beaten soundly. He's 
got the reputation of being the most trouble- 
some bruiser on the river." 

Nearer and nearer the “ Mediterranean " 
swung toward the Tennessee shore; the 
negro roustabouts upon the wharf stood 
ready to carry and trundle aboard the 
miscellaneous articles of cargo which 
awaited the craft. A thin array of pas- 
sengers was also waiting. Upon the decks 
of the steamboat stood the captain and his 
mates ; their orders were given curtly and 
the deck hands sprang alertly to obey 
them. 

Noting the boat's proximity to the shore, 
Colonel Huntley said something to Barker 
45 


IN TEXAS 


in a low voice. Barker's eyes went to a 
cabin window as though in reply to some 
suggestion and an evil look came into his 
dull face. 

“ Let us see/' said he to Walter, “ if you 
are as ready with your fists as you are with 
your tongue. The officers of the boat don't 
care to have any trouble aboard, so, as we’ll 
tie up to a wharf in a few minutes, let's 
take our affairs ashore, and have it out 
without any interference." 

“ Good ! " cried Ned Chandler. “ That 
suits us down to the ground. Let it be 
ashore, by all means." 

Acting upon one impulse the passengers 
streamed out upon the deck ; there was a 
hurrying of deck hands, a sharp calling of 
orders and the jingling of the pilot's bell. 
Then with a great splashing of her wheels 
and a straining of hawsers, the “ Mediter- 
ranean " lay quietly at the wharf. 

Instantly the gangplank was run out 

and the singing negroes began to roll on 
46 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


the cargo. Walter Jordan and Ned vaulted 
over the rail ; a horde of passengers fol- 
lowed, among them being Colonel Huntley 
and Barker. 


CHAPTER IV 


THE FIGHT 

At the head of the wharf was an open 
space, and when they reached this Barker 
halted, and stripped off his coat. 

“ No use going any farther, gentlemen,” 
said he with a wicked grin. 11 I’d just as 
lief smash him here as anywhere else.” 

Walter promptly pulled off his own coat 
and waistcoat ; then he turned up his cuffs. 
Ned Chandler, his hand upon Walter’s 
arm, whispered advice, his blue eyes all 
the time fixed upon Barker. 

“Watch him,” cautioned Ned. “Don’t 
let him get hold of you, or throw you, if 
you can help it. Stand off, and hit him 
back as he comes into you.” 

Both of the young fellows were fully 

aware of the lawless nature of the combat 
48 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


into which Walter was about entering. 
Those were rough days ; and the river-men, 
the pioneers, adventurers and planters who 
used the great stream were rough men ; 
and so their ways of settling disputes 
were apt to be primitive. Force was what 
usually told ; the man who fought the 
most savage and relentless battle was al- 
most invariably the victor. Skill was little 
considered, as is usually the case in the 
outposts of the world ; the man with the 
bulging muscles and the flail-like arms was 
the man figured on to conquer ; and now as 
young Jordan and Barker prepared for the 
fight there were few who considered that 
the former had a chance to escape being 
maimed. 

“ Barker's like a bull,” said an interested 
river-man. “There's no one between here 
and New Orleans that's got a chance with 
him. He'll eat this young fellow up.” 

And the fact that the bullet-headed 
young man was considered the sure winner 
49 


IN TEXAS 


made him popular with a great number of 
the onlookers. That he was a noted bruiser 
had been passed about, and the crowd de- 
sired a specimen of his quality. 

“ Hurry up about it, Barker/’ suggested 
a planter in a huge rimmed soft hat. 
“ Don’t forget that the boat will be here 
only a quarter of an hour.” 

“ A quarter of an hour ! ” cried another. 
“ Why, Barker’ll lick a half dozen like this 
fellow in that time.” 

A loud laugh went up, and the rough 
throng gathered into a circle tighter than 
before. 

“ Sail into him, Bark,” advised one. 

“ Show him your mettle,” encouraged 
another. 

“ He’ll know better next time,” said a 
third. 

“ Barker’ll break his bones like match- 
sticks,” maintained a fourth. 

One of those who stood gazing at the 
preparation for battle was a tall, raw-boned 
50 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


man of almost fifty, with a good-natured 
face, and a manner which was upon the 
verge of the eccentric. He wore a coon- 
skin cap, a long fringed hunting shirt of 
buckskin, leggings and tanned moccasins. 
In the hollow of his arm he carried a 
handsome rifle. He had been one of those 
who stood upon the wharf awaiting the 
tying of the “ Mediterranean,” apparently 
for the purpose of taking passage. But 
the crowd streaming over the rail had 
attracted his attention and he had fol- 
lowed. 

“ You all seem to set a sight of store on 
Barker,” said this person, after he’d listened 
to the admiring remarks, and eager en- 
couragement given the bruiser. 

“ Why not? ” demanded a burly steamboat 
man, turning to the speaker. “ He’s beaten 
every man along the river.” 

The man in the hunting shirt laughed 
good-naturedly. 

“ Oh, come now,” said he. “ His record’s 
5i 


IN TEXAS 


not quite so good as that. What you mean 
is that he’s beaten all he’s fought ; but that 
doesn’t say much. For fellows like Barker 
seldom pick a man they’re not sure of.” 

“ I take it,” said the steamboat man, “ that 
you’ve seen him fight.” 

“ Lots of times,” said the other, smiling. 
“ In fact, anybody in the habit of seeing 
young Barker at all must have seen him 
fight. For it’s the thing he’s usually 
doing.” 

The planter with the wide-rimmed hat 
surveyed the man in the hunting shirt. 

“ I think,” said he, “ Barker’s going to 
come out on top.” 

The backwoodsman fixed his keen eyes 
on Walter, who stood with his arms folded 
across his chest listening to Ned’s last words. 
And then he smiled. 

“ Maybe,” said he. “ But if that young- 
ster meets him right, he’ll have no easy time 
of it.” 

And with this he worked his way through 
52 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

the throng until he stood at Walter's 
side. 

“ Youngster/' said he in a low voice, 
“ here's a word of advice. Use your feet. 
Step around. And don't hit him around 
the face or head. You'll only hurt your 
hands, and do him no harm. Go for his 
body when you get the chance. He can't 
stand such blows, and anybody who can 
keep hitting him there can beat him." 

Except for Ned's caution, “ Don't let 
him cripple you," the words of the back- 
woodsman were the last that young Jordan 
heard before the battle opened. 

He saw Barker advancing toward him, 
and stepped out to meet him. The bruiser 
held his arms awkwardly, his small round 
head was lowered, and coming within dis- 
tance he leaped at his opponent without 
any ceremony. Swish ! swish ! went his 
short, powerful arms. Young Jordan al- 
lowed the first to swing by him and 
“ ducked " under the other. Then his left 
53 



“ don’t let him cripple you” 


I 



WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

went out, catching Barker flush in the 
mouth, and the right hand followed like a 
flash, landing on the bruiser’s jaw. 

However, though both had been strong 
blows, sufficient to have staggered most per- 
sons, Barker did not seem to regard them at 
all, but pressed on, his arms lunging and 
swinging wickedly. But both Jordan’s 
hands felt the impact against the fellow’s 
bony front, and as he stepped actively here 
and there avoiding the other’s rushes and 
watching him narrowly, this thought 
formed itself in his mind : 

“Whoever it was that just spoke, to me 
seems to know what he was talking about 
as far as Barker’s head and face go. 
They’re like iron. And, so, if he was right 
in that, maybe he was right in the other 
thing. I’ll give it a trial.” 

A dozen times he had opportunities to 
land blows upon Barker’s face, but he re- 
fused to strike. The ring of onlookers seized 
upon his disinclination and began to jeer. 

55 


IN TEXAS 

“ He’s afraid ! ” cried one. 

“ Barker’s got him scared, so’s he dasn’t 
lift a hand.” 

But the backwoodsman who had spoken 
to Walter smiled approvingly as he watched 
him. 

“ Not too quick with your judgments, 
gentlemen,” said he. “ You’ll see some- 
thing before long. Barker’s got some one 
at last who fights him in the right way.” 

Like a bull, the bullet-headed bruiser 
lurched after his nimbly stepping oppo- 
nent. His arms swung wildly and sav- 
agely. Suddenly grasping an opportunity, 
Walter stepped in and drove his right fist 
into the other’s short ribs. Barker’s heavy 
face twitched with pain, and he wavered 
for an instant. Then young Jordan’s left 
hand shot out and found a landing place 
in the pit of the bully’s stomach. 

That these two blows had a serious effect 
was instantly evident. Barker’s face turned 
a sort of sickly gray and he shook his round 
56 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


head in a fury. But he had courage ; and 
so once more he came on, thrashing out 
with his fists more awkwardly than be- 
fore. 

Ned Chandler, never missing a move of 
the two contestants, had seen the landing 
of Walter’s blows with delight. But he 
also saw the tremendous power in the 
bully’s awkward swings, and his pleasure 
was mingled with a fear that by some 
chance one of them would find a mark. 

“ Watch yourself, Walt,” he kept repeat- 
ing. “ Don’t let him get one of those in 
on you.” 

But Walter was careful, and he stepped 
about actively and with a purpose in every 
movement. Getting the bruiser into the 
right position he feinted him into a mad 
whirling of fists — then, one — two — the pow- 
erful body blows were driven home once 
more. 

“ That’s it ! ” cried the tall backwoods- 
man, much pleased, and wearing a wide 
57 


IN TEXAS 


smile. 11 That’s it ! Keep it up, youngster. 
You’ll bring him down like a coon out of a 
gum tree.” 

Barker flinched more under this second 
pair of blows than he had under the first. 
And his attack grew slacker. 

“ Now ! ” cried Ned Chandler. “ Now, 
Walt, go in. This is your time.” 

“ But keep up your guard!” cautioned 
the tall backwoodsman. 

Walter dashed at his opponent. The fists 
of Barker whirled with ponderous inaccu- 
racy ; some of the blows struck Walter, 
some of them were glancing, others landed 
as he was stepping away, and so lost their 
power. None of them did any damage. 
But the blows which he was sending in, 
in return, were most effective. Sharp, 
straight and all directed at the body, few 
of them failed of their work. The gray of 
Barker’s face increased; his knees began to 
tremble. 

“ Come on, Barker, do something,” cried 
53 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


Colonel Huntley, furiously. “ Are you go- 
ing to let a fellow like that beat you ? ” 

“ Get your grapplers on him, Bark,” sug- 
gested a river-man. “ Get your grapplers 
on him, and let's see you twist him up like 
a pipe lighter.” 

Apparently Barker had been turning 
some such idea over in his own mind, for 
he at once set about putting it into play. 
Evidently he saw that, for all his power 
and reputation as a bully, he was no match 
for young Jordan in a stand-up fight. And 
so now he'd put his huge strength of body 
and arm to the test. 

“ That's right, Bark,” encouraged the 
river-man. “That’s it! Work in close!” 

“ Don't let him clinch you ! ” cried Ned 
Chandler, to his friend. “ Hit him off! ” 

Such was Walter's intention. He had no 
desire to come to a grapple with a fighter 
of Barker's note ; for in such a struggle, 
no matter who gained the victory, there 
would be a strong chance of severe injury. 

59 


IN TEXAS 


And that above everything else was what 
he wished to avoid. So, as Barker moved 
in, he was met with a shower of blows. 
But the bully had learned craft ; he did not 
attempt to strike back, but guarded with 
his arms crossed before him and with his 
head held low. 

His small eyes were glaring between his 
arms and watching Walter with savage pur- 
pose. He made a move as though to the 
left ; young Jordan stepped aside to avoid 
him. But the thing had only been a feint, 
and as Walter moved, Barker shifted sud- 
denly and the next instant his exultant 
clutch was upon his active foe. 

“ Now ! ” cried Colonel Huntley. “ Now 
you've got him. Go to work ! ” 

“ Fight him off, Walt ! ” shouted Ned, 
his face paling a little at his friend's danger. 
“ Fight him off." 

The ring of spectators was in a tumult. 
A turning point of the battle had been 

reached. Almost to a man they felt that 
60 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


the ruffianism of Barker would carry him 
through. 

Once he felt the band-like arms of the 
bruiser close about him, Walter Jordan’s 
plan of battle changed. He heard Ned’s 
cry to fight the other off. But this was 
impossible. He felt Barker bracing him- 
self for an effort, and he knew what it 
meant. Once the bully had thrown him 
to the ground he’d have him at his mercy ; 
he would not be allowed to rise until he 
was helpless. 

It required only a second or two for all 
this to pass through his mind ; then he 
caught sight of the tall backwoodsman 
over Barker’s shoulder. And that person- 
age made a swift and suggestive motion 
with his arms. 

“ The elbow ! ” cried he. “ Don’t forget 
the elbow ! ” 

Instantly the young fellow understood. 
With a powerful wriggle he freed his right 

arm, and drove the elbow under the chin 
61 


IN TEXAS 


of Barker, pressing with all his might 
against the bruiser’s throat. 

“ You fool ! ” shouted Huntley, to Barker. 
“ Don’t let him do that ! ” 

But it was too late. The more strongly 
Barker heaved and strained to throw young 
Jordan, the more deadly became the thrust 
of the elbow .into his throat. And it was 
his own efforts that were doing it. Pant- 
ing, purple of face, he realized this ; to re- 
lieve the deadly pressure he would have to 
slip the grip he’d fought so hard to obtain, 
and trust to luck to secure another as good. 

His arms unlocked ; breathless, he at- 
tempted to step back for a moment’s rest 
before plunging at his opponent once more. 
But here he received the surprise of his 
career as a Mississippi river bully. Instead 
of young Jordan’s remaining upon the de- 
fensive as he had done almost from the 
start, he now leaped forward. His strong 
young arms pinned the breathless and mo- 
mentarily helpless bruiser, and with a dex- 
62 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

terous twist lifted him from his feet. Then 
the fellow was hurled to the ground, where 
he lay breathless, almost unconscious, and 
absolutely defeated. 


6 $ 


CHAPTER V 


DAVY CROCKETT 

As the ring of river-men, adventurers, 
planters and border characters closed in 
about the prostrate form of Barker, Walter 
Jordan felt a hand laid on his arm. Turn- 
ing, he saw the tall backwoodsman at his 
side. 

“ They've got all the cargo on board the 
boat," said the man, “and in a moment 
they'll blow the whistle for every one to 
get back on board. There'll be a rush ; 
and I reckon you’d better not be in it." 

Ned Chandler, who caught the words, 
understood their meaning instantly. 

“That's so," said he, helping Walter on 
with his coat. “ Barker seemed to have 
quite a number of friends in that crowd. 
And maybe one of them would try to get 
64 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


some sort of a sneaking revenge, Walt, if he 
saw a chance." 

So, together with the stranger, they 
walked toward the end of the wharf. And 
as they stepped upon the deck of the “ Med- 
iterranean, n her whistle shrieked a shrill 
warning. There was an instant rush of pas- 
sengers ; and from the upper deck the three 
saw Barker helped on board by a couple of 
negroes. 

“ Colonel Huntley doesn't look any too 
well pleased," said Ned with a grin, as he 
caught sight of the sombre face of that gen- 
tleman. “ His little plot was rather mussed 
up." 

The tall backwoodsman looked interested. 

“ What's this ? " said he. “ Plot ? Colonel 
Huntley?" 

“ The colonel," spoke Walter, “ for an 
hour or two before the boat landed at Ran- 
dolph spent his time in laying the founda- 
tion for a quarrel with me." 

“ He wanted to pick a fight," put in Ned. 

65 


IN TEXAS 


“He wanted to have Walt injured by that 
blackguard Barker so’s to prevent him from 
going to Texas.” 

The long man’s interest deepened. 

“ So you are going to Texas, are you ? ” 
said he to young Jordan. 

“ We both are,” replied the latter. 

“ Might I ask what part? ” 

“ San Antonio.” 

The backwoodsman whistled. 

“ Well,” said he, “ you’ve picked out what 
seems likely to be a mighty interesting sec- 
tion of the new country.” 

Here the lines were cast off, and the 
“ Mediterranean ” steamed out into the 
stream ; then gathering headway she once 
more split the muddy waters on her journey 
southward. The battle upon the pier at 
Randolph was, for a time, the chief subject 
of conversation. But as Barker had retired 
to his stateroom, where his friends and some 
of the steamboat’s people were striving to 

make him presentable once more, and Wal- 
66 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


ter held to a corner of the upper deck with 
Ned and the stranger, making himself no 
more conspicuous than was necessary, the 
matter gradually died down, and finally al- 
most completely ceased to be discussed. 

A planter, who appeared to be a man of 
some consequence, appeared upon the deck 
with some friends ; and catching sight of 
the stranger in the hunting shirt who stood 
talking with the two young travelers, he 
advanced with a surprised greeting. 

“ What, colonel ! Going down the river ? ” 

The man in the hunting shirt smiled in 
his good-natured way, and shook the plant- 
er’s hand cordially. 

“ Glad to see you, Mr. Burr,” said he. 
“ Yes, going down the river. A little expe- 
dition, you see.” 

“ Gentlemen,” said the planter, address- 
ing those who accompanied him, “ shake 
hands with Colonel Crockett, the finest rifle 
shot, the greatest stump speaker and the 

most complete bear hunter in Tennessee.” 

67 


IN TEXAS 


“ Colonel Crockett/' said Walter to Ned 
as the backwoodsman laughingly shook 
hands with Mr. Burr’s friends. “ Can it be 
the celebrated Davy Crockett of whom we’ve 
always heard so much ? ” 

“ I’ll bet it is,” said Ned, his eyes on the 
colonel. “ I’ve seen pictures of him more 
than once ; and they looked just as he does 
now.” 

“ How is it, Crockett,” asked Mr. Burr, 
“ that I find you in your old back settlement 
togs, your rifle and hunting knife with you, 
headed south? Surely you are not going to 
Texas?” 

Crockett nodded. 

“ Mr. Burr,” said he, “ I surely am. 
Down there’s a new country to be fought 
for and freed. And down there I am going 
to give what help I can.” 

“ But,” protested Burr, “ are you going to 
give up your career in Tennessee? You, 
as a member of Congress, have work to 
do.” 


68 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


Crockett laughed ; and there was a trace 
of bitterness in it. 

“ As a member of Congress I had work to 
do,” corrected he. “ But, you see, that’s an 
office that I no longer hold.” 

The planter looked amazed. 

“ Why, you don’t mean to tell me you 
were defeated for reelection in your dis- 
trict,” said he. 

“ I tell you just that,” said Colonel 
Crockett. 

“ Well, I’d never believed it,” said Burr, 
looking at his friends, wonder in his face. 
“ Why, colonel, you were the most popular 
candidate that ever stumped Tennessee.” 

Davy Crockett smiled, good-naturedly. 

“ Yes ; the boys set some store by me,” 
said he. “ And they liked to hear me 
talk. But politics is a queer kind of thing. 
The man who gets the votes may not al- 
ways win.” 

Mr. Burr looked grave. 

“ Why,” said he, “ I’m afraid that is true.” 

69 


IN TEXAS 


The party had settled themselves in 
chairs and the colonel addressed them 
generally. 

“ President Andy Jackson is no friend of 
mine,” said he. “ I say this, mind you, 
knowing that Jackson is a perfectly honest 
man, a good friend to those who like him, 
and a fine fighter. But he’s no friend of 
mine ; and that’s why I’m on my way to 
Texas to-day.” 

“ Jackson opposed your reelection, then,” 
said one of the listeners. 

“ He opposed it early and late,” said the 
backwoodsman. “ He fought me as hard as 
he could ; and when you say that of Andy, 
why, you are saying that it was a pretty 
hefty battle. For he has the mettle and the 
backbone of the true fighter.” 

There was a short pause ; Colonel Crockett 
fingered the butt of his long rifle reminis- 
cently and looked across the river toward 
the Arkansas shore. 

“ You see, I fought with Jackson against 
70 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

the British and against the Creeks, and I 
know him pretty well. But when I was a 
member of the Tennessee Legislature, there 
was a movement to beat John Williams for 
the United States senatorship. Williams 
had always done his work as well as a man 
could do it ; I didn't see any reason for not 
sending him back, and I said so. But they 
put up Jackson. And, although I then 
thought Andy the biggest man in the coun- 
try, I voted against him, and so made him 
an enemy, along with his whole following. 
Chickens come home to roost," added the 
backwoodsman. “ They remembered it 
against me, and they've fought me ever 
since." 

“ And," said Mr. Burr, “ is this the reason 
you are leaving Tennessee — because your 
enemies have beaten you ? Why not stay 
and fight them ? " 

The colonel cracked the joints of his 
strong fingers and smiled drolly. 

“ It doesn't put much into a man's life to 
7i 


IN TEXAS 


spend it fighting people who should be his 
friends,” said he. “ At least, that’s what I 
think. And, accordingly, here I am on my 
way to Texas to join Sam Houston and the 
rest against Santa Anna and his crew.” 

“ There seems to be a strong tide set in 
toward that country,” spoke another of the 
party. “ I hear that there’s hundreds go 
down the river every week.” 

“ They’ll be needed,” nodded Colonel 
Crockett. “ Everything looks promising 
for a long war ; and Texas, so I’ve heard, is 
just the place where one can be carried out 
to any length by men who fight and run as 
the Mexicans do.” 

The talk between the men continued for 
some time ; it was mainly about Texas and 
Crockett’s political fortunes, and the boys 
listened with much interest. But finally 
Burr and his friends got up, and moved 
away to a place where some other people 
had gathered. 

For some little time after this the back- 
72 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


woodsman sat nursing his rifle and gazing 
toward the wooded Arkansas shore. Finally 
he spoke. 

“ And so,” said he, “ you have some kind 
of a difficulty with Colonel Huntley ? ” 

“ Yes, it would seem so,” replied Walter 
Jordan. 

“ I’ve known him for a good many years, 
off and on,” spoke Crockett. “ Once he 
owned a big plantation in Carolina and 
worked a hundred slaves. Then he was 
interested in a steamboat company. But I 
heard some time ago that he’d lost all his 
money and was, so to speak, living by his 
wits.” 

“ That accounts for his being in the 
confidence of Sam Davidge, then,” said 
Ned Chandler, to his friend. “ I guess 
Sam has hired Huntley, and Huntley 
hired Barker.” 

Walter laughed. 

“ Suppose,” said he, “ that Barker would 
now take it into his head to hire some 
7 3 


IN TEXAS 


one. Why, the thing might go on that 
way and there would be no end to our 
enemies.” 

Ned joined in the laugh at this idea ; but 
at the same time he shook his head. 

“ But the matter’s no joke,” said he. 
“ They mean business, and will try in 
every way they know to prevent our 
carrying out your father’s plans.” 

The name and fame of Davy Crockett, 
rifleman, bear hunter, backwoods philoso- 
pher, had traveled at that time into every 
corner of the United States. He was spoken 
of at every fireside, and his homely wisdom 
and basic honesty were admitted by all. 
Walter Jordan knew this, and as he sat 
gazing at the man, whose face was at once 
droll, shrewd and fearless in expression, an 
idea occurred to him. 

“ Here is a man,” he told himself, “ who 
has put himself out of his way to be my 
friend. And he’s just the kind of a man 
whose advice would be worth following 
74 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


and whose help would be worth having 
in the adventure we are now started 
upon.” 

He leaned over toward Ned, and whis- 
pered : 

“ Don’t you think it would be a good 
thing to tell Colonel Crockett about our 
affair, and hear what he has to say ? ” 

“ Good,” approved young Chandler at 
once. “ Do it.” 

So Walter turned toward the backwoods- 
man. 

“ Colonel Crockett,” said he, “ if you 
have the time to listen, and are willing, 
I'd like to tell you the story.” 

Crockett turned his shrewd eyes upon 
the boy and nodded. 

“ All right, youngster,” said he. “ Go 
ahead.” 

Thereupon Walter related the story of 
the journalist, Tom Norton ; of his going 
to Texas with his wife and daughter ; how 
both he and his wife died at San Antonio, 
75 


IN TEXAS 


leaving the girl an orphan. Then came 
the matter of the fortune left the girl. 

“ It was an uncle of her father’s who 
willed it to her,” said Walter. “ He was 
an odd sort of an old man, and had for his 
lawyer his only other relative, one Sam 
Davidge, who is known throughout Ken- 
tucky as a double-dealer and a man who 
does not stop at small things to gain his 
ends.” 

“ I’ve heard of him,” said Crockett. 

“ But the old man finally dropped 
Davidge. My father never knew why, but 
suspects he found him out in some dis- 
honest work. Davidge had been named as 
executor to the estate ; but the old gentle- 
man now altered this. In a sort of codicil, 
my father was named as executor. When 
the old gentleman died some few weeks 
ago, Davidge set up a claim that he had 
been influenced, that he was of weak mind 
when the codicil was attached to the will.” 

Then the young fellow related the nature 
76 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


of his trip to Texas ; of Davidge’s following 
him, and of the appearance of Colonel 
Huntley and Barker upon the scene. And 
Crockett listened to it all with much atten- 
tion, nodding his head at points well made, 
and putting in a helpful word here and 
there. 

When Walter had finished, the colonel 
lay back in his chair in a careless, lounging 
fashion and spoke. 

“ Their idea is, as you say, to reach the 
girl first,” said he, “ and to let them do 
that would be dangerous. Of course they 
may mean only to influence her ; but then, 
again, they may mean worse.” 

“You don’t mean ” but Walter was 

afraid to finish the sentence. 

Crockett nodded. 

“ That is just what I mean,” said he. 
“ Davidge is the only other relative, you 
say. Well, if the girl never appeared in 
Louisville, Davidge would come into the 
money.” 


77 


IN TEXAS 


Both boys were appalled by this ; but at 
length Walter said : 

“ Knowing the matter, Colonel Crockett, 
and understanding what these men are 
after, what would you advise us to do?” 

Crockett stroked the stock of the hand- 
some rifle upon his knee. 

“Do?” said he, and he smiled drolly. 
“ Why, that’s simple enough, youngster. 
Get to San Antonio first ; tell the girl the 
facts, and leave it to her to decide whether 
she’ll go north with you and your friend 
here, or with Huntley and the legal shark. 
If you talk to her right and get her ear 
first, I’ve got no doubt about the result.” 

Walter Jordan smiled. 

“You seem to lay great stress on the im- 
portance of being first,” he said. 

Crockett nodded. 

“ And why not ? ” said he, his shrewd 
eyes upon the boy. “ There’s an old saying, 
‘ The first blood’s half the battle ! ’ And 
it’s as true a one as was ever put into 
78 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


words. I found it out years ago in the 
wilderness among the redskins and the 
prowling varmints. Let them act first and 
you had an almighty job getting the best 
of them. But be sharp and watchful — 
strike the first blow, and the rest was pretty 
easy.” 

Walter looked puzzled. 

“ But,” said he, “ Colonel Huntley is on 
board this boat ; he’ll arrive at New Orleans 
as quickly as we shall. There’s nothing 
that I know of to hinder his pressing on 
to San Antonio with as much speed as we 
can make — perhaps more.” 

“ That’s true enough,” said Crockett. 
“ In the natural course of things he might 
get better mounts than you boys, and so 
cross the Injun country ahead of you. 
But,” with a quizzical look in his eye, 
“ why let things take their natural course ? 
That’s what the fellow does who picks out 
a shady place under a tree — he lets things 
take care of themselves. But that kind of 
79 


IN TEXAS 


proceeding never got any wood split. In- 
terfering with the natural course of things 
is what we call work ; and work is the 
thing that gets results.” 

“But,” said* Ned Chandler, “just how 
shall we go to work to win, in this matter, 
do you think? ” 

“ Why not take a leaf from Huntley's 
book ? ” suggested Crockett. “ He had the 
right kind of a notion. He wanted to stop 
you from getting into Texas. So why not 
do the same thing for him — only in another 
way ? ” 

“ Good ! ” Walter Jordan slapped Ned 
upon the back with a force that made 
that young gentleman cough. “ That's it. 
We'll carry the war into Africa, and give 
Davidge, Huntley and Co. a dose of their 
own medicine.” 


80 


CHAPTER VI 


BEAR HUNTING 

Gradually it became known throughout 
the “ Mediterranean ” that the celebrated 
Davy Crockett was on board, and it was 
seldom, from then on, that the genial 
backwoodsman was not at the center of a 
knot of laughing friends, old and new, who 
listened to his stories and jokes, and en- 
couraged him to give them more of the 
same kind. 

But, one evening, as he sat out upon the 
deck with Walter Jordan and Ned Chandler 
near by, the planter, Mr. Burr, induced him 
to tell of one of his hunting exploits. 

“ Give us a bear hunting story, colonel,” 
suggested the planter. “ It's been a long 
time since I heard you tell one.” 

Crockett shook his head. 

81 


IN TEXAS 


“ There’ll come a time, and it’s mighty 
near at hand,” said he, “ when bear stories 
in this part of the world will be few enough. 
The bear is going fast, and I reckon he’ll 
sing his death song, in Tennessee anyhow, 
in the next ten years.” 

“ But there were lots of them some years 
ago,” encouraged Mr. Burr. 

“ Heaps,” said Crockett. “ I’ve been into 
the Tennessee wilderness where their tracks 
were pretty plenty. And there was good 
hunting, fresh meat to be smoked and salted 
away for winter, and furry pelts to keep 
out the cold of the ground when a fellow 
went to sleep. Yes, there was fine hunting, 
and lots of bears and panthers and deer and 
fur animals beyond counting, in the woods 
and along the streams. 

“ I remember once,” said he, continuing, 
“ that I had a dream of a nigger ; and when 
I dreamed of a nigger that always meant — 
bear ! So off I sets with a couple of dogs, 

my rifle and a good horn of powder and 
82 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


plenty of ball. It’d been raining all the 
night before ; then it had turned cold, and 
the rain changed to sleet. 

“ * Good bear weather/ says I to myself. 

‘ I ought to get a whopper.’ 

“ The sleet was bad and stung my face 
almost to bleeding ; but I thought of the 
bear that I was sure was waiting for me 
somewhere, and so I held on. But I’d 
tramped a half dozen miles and the only 
thing the dogs turned up was a flock of 
turkeys ; I got a couple of big ones, and sat 
down on the end of a log to rest, for the 
tramp had played me out. 

“ But I hadn’t sat there long before I 
noticed that one of the dogs, an old hound, 
was acting rather excited. He was sniff- 
ing around as though he’d got scent of 
something. Then he put his nose in the 
air, and let out a yowl that brought me up 
with rifle ready. 

“ Off starts the hounds, and me after 
them. They seemed to have struck the 
83 


IN TEXAS 


trail of something and hung to it like good 
fellows. A couple of times they lost the 
scent, and I made up my mind each time 
that the varmint, whatever it was, had 
them licked ; but they picked it up again 
and were off once more as good as ever. 

“ The woods were pretty thick,” pro- 
ceeded Crockett, “ and the two old hounds 
seemed to pull me through the worst of it ; 
and with two big gobblers on my back, I 
had all I could do to keep up with them. 
But suddenly there was a sort of clearing — 
a natural one — and right there I saw the 
biggest black bear I’d ever seen in Tennes- 
see ! 

“ The hounds stood as close to him as 
they dared to go ; the hair on their backs 
was standing as stiff as brushes ; and they 
were yelping all the names at him that they 
could lay their tongues to. 

“ A black bear won’t pay much attention 
to hounds. But they are kind of shy of 

men being around — especially men with 
84 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


rifles in their hands. It may be that the 
daddy of all the bears has handed it down 
that a man with a rifle is a thing to be 
afraid of. Anyway, when this black fellow 
got sight of me, he turns to and breaks for 
a thicket which was close by. In after him 
went the hounds ; and after the hounds 
went I. It was as dense a growth, that 
thicket, as any I’d ever seen, and I had to 
squirm through it ; also it was hard to see 
far through the growth, and so I had to 
trust to the dogs to tell me when the bear 
was close at hand.” 

“ Tight work,” observed Mr. Burr. 

“ It just was,” replied Colonel Crockett. 
“ But it wasn’t long before I heard a noise 
ahead ; and there was the bear climbing an 
oak tree. When he reached a good heavy 
branch he stopped, got out on it and turned. 
Then he began to look around for me. And 
now I had a chance to get another look at 
him, and still I felt he was the biggest bear 
I’d ever seen in those woods. If I’d had a 
85 


IN TEXAS 


scale along and could have induced him to 
get on them I’ll venture the critter’d 
weighed an easy six hundred pounds. 

“ I was less than a hundred yards from 
him, and to make sure of my shot I re- 
primed my gun. Then I drew a bead on 
him and fired.” 

i' “ Did you get him ? ” asked Ned Chand- 
ler, who had been listening intently. 

“ Not then. The bullet must have hit 
him somewhere, though, for he gave a kind 
of a yawp ; but he looked none the worse, 
and went on sticking to the limb of the oak. 
So I rammed home another charge of 
powder and ball, primed as carefully as I 
could, and let him have it again. This 
time the shot counted. He fell out of the 
tree with a yell, his big paws going like 
mad, and his red mouth wide open. One 
of the hounds forgot his training and 
rushed in on him, thinking he was a goner. 

“ But that black fellow had lots of fight 

in him still. He scooped the hound up 
86 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


as a squirrel scoops up a nut ; and he 
hugged him tight. The hound yowled 
something scandalous ; and his comrade 
barked fit to split. As they were down on 
the ground through this part of the affair I 
couldn't see much of them because of the 
denseness of the thicket. But, thinking I 
was about to lose a pretty fair kind of a 
hound, I dropped my rifle, drew my knife 
and tomahawk, and with one in one hand, 
and one in the other, I broke my way 
toward the place of action." 

“ I suppose there wasn't much left to the 
hound by that time," said Burr. 

“ Oh, yes. He'd lots of life in him, for 
he yelled like a whole pack. You see the 
bear hadn't got a proper pressure on him, 
and he was just shifting his grip when I 
busts through the thicket. And no sooner 
had I showed my nose than Mr. Bear 
seemed to understand that he'd been blam- 
ing his misfortunes on the wrong party. 
Right away he knew it wasn't the hound 
87 


IN TEXAS 

that had tumbled him out of the tree, but 
me. 

“ And so, quick as a wink, he dropped 
the dog, and gave his attention to me. 
Now the knife I had in my left hand was a 
good enough knife, as such things go ; and 
the hatchet was a fair kind of a weapon. 
But when I looked at them and then at that 
six hundred pounds of bear, they looked 
foolish ; and so back I went, with all the 
speed I could get up, to the place where I 
had dropped my rifle. 

“ I picked it up, and saw, or rather 
heard, the bear coming for me ; and as I 
was about to lift the piece to my shoulder, 
to wait for him, it struck me that it wasn’t 
loaded. I’ve done some quick pouring of 
powder in my time, but I think that was 
the quickest I ever undertook. I pulled 
the stopper from my powder horn and let 
the charge run into the barrel of that old 
rifle without paying much attention to how 
much, then I rammed it home, and the bul- 
88 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


let, too, and then primed as carefully as I 
could under the circumstances. 

“ Along came the black bear, wounded, 
growling and as mad as tarnation. And up 
went the rifle, and I fired. Down went the 
critter on his side ; he gave a couple of 
kicks and was dead.” 

“ Quite an experience,” said Mr. Burr. 
“ Suppose you had, in your hurry, loaded 
your rifle improperly and it had missed fire. 
What would you have done ? ” 

“ Run,” said Crockett, promptly ; “ run as 
fast as my legs could carry me. A wounded 
bear is no kind of a beast to stand and 
reason with.” 

“ What did you do with him after you 
got him ? ” asked Ned Chandler. 

“ Well, as he was all of six hundred 
pounds, I couldn’t do much myself. So I 
got back to my cabin as quick as I could, 
got some friends and some horses, and we 
started out to find the carcass. I’d blazed 

the way with my tomahawk, and we hadn’t 
89 


IN TEXAS 


much trouble in coming to the place. Then 
we dressed the critter, loaded the meat on 
the horses’ backs and took it home.” 

The genial hunter told many quaint and 
stirring tales of his experiences in the In- 
dian wars, in the deep forests of the south- 
west, and of the wild and dangerous animals 
with which those forests were overrun. The 
lawless character who is always to be found 
on the outskirts of civilization also came 
into his conversation. 

“ Wherever you go in the southwest 
country, you run across him,” said Colo- 
nel Crockett. “ He’s to be found in every 
settlement, in every camp, traveling every 
trail. He’s always armed, he’s usually got 
courage, he never fails to cause trouble.” 

“ I’ve met that sort of fellow myself,” 
nodded the planter, Burr. “ He’s to be 
avoided.” 

But Crockett shook his head. 

“ Not always,” said he. “ The fact that 

people give him the width of the trail in 
90 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


passing is one of the things that encourages 
him to go even further than he’d gone be- 
fore. That kind of a fellow should always 
be shown his proper place. He should be 
opposed when he makes a move to interfere 
with the rights of others.” 

Just then there was a clatter of chairs on 
the deck and looking around Walter Jor- 
dan saw Huntley and a sharp-faced man 
dressed in black. 

“ Hello ! ” said Ned Chandler in a low 
tone to Walter, “ there’s Sam Davidge now.” 

“ He’s seen that it’s no use hiding any 
longer,” said Walter ; “ and now he’s come 
out in the open. But,” his eyes on the two 
men, “ I wonder what they’re up to ? ” 

“ No good, I’ll say that,” said Ned, with 
a promptness that made Walter smile. 

The two men made way for themselves 
among the chairs ; and when they had 
reached the party of which Crockett and 
the boys were members, they paused. 

“ How are you, Mr. Burr?” cried Hunt- 

91 


IN TEXAS 

ley, with great cordiality. “ I thought I 
saw you on board to-day.” 

“ How do you do, sir ? ” said Burr, who 
did not seem at all sure who Huntley was. 
“ I’m pleased to see you again.” 

“ I met you — in Nashville, I think it 
was. Abe Sterrit, I think, introduced us,” 
said Huntley, seeing that Burr was not 
certain of him. 

The planter’s face fell ; and Crockett 
chuckled at the sight. 

“ Abe Sterrit’s a horse jockey at Nash- 
ville,” whispered the backwoodsman to 
Ned, a wide grin upon his face. “ And 
I don’t think Mr. Burr sets much store 
by him.” 

“ Oh, yes, yes,” said the planter to Hunt- 
ley, “ I think I remember you. I trust 
you’ve been well, sir.” 

“ Tolerable,” said Huntley. Then, look- 
ing at Crockett, “ How are you, colonel ? ” 

“ Good-evening,” replied the backwoods- 
man. 

92 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ Haven’t seen you since you were elec- 
tioneering for your second term in Con- 
gress,” said the man. 

“ I don’t think I’ve run across you, 
either,” said Crockett, evenly. “ But I 
remember seeing you then, well enough. 
You were making speeches right and left 
against me.” 

Huntley laughed loudly. 

“ Ah, well, colonel,” said he, “ it’s these 
little differences of opinion that make life 
worth living. I did work against you, 
that’s a fact, but because I was of opposite 
beliefs, and not through any sort of ill 
will.” 

Crockett smiled drolly. 

“ Have it your own way,” said he. 

Huntley seemed especially earnest ; he 
took a step nearer to the backwoodsman. 

“ I’ve always felt a strong regard for 
your type of man, Colonel Crockett,” said 
he. “ And I’ve always had a strong regard 
for your work and aims. And,” here he 
93 


IN TEXAS 


cast a swift glance in the direction of the 
boys, “ I mean to prove that to you, right 
now.” 

Walter nudged Ned with his elbow. 

“ I see it coming,” whispered Ned in re- 
turn. “ It’s something about us.” 

Crockett, with the droll smile still upon 
his face, replied to Huntley : 

“ Well, I’m a sight obliged for your in- 
terest, sir.” 

“ It’s come to my ears,” said Huntley, 
“ that you are going to Texas.” 

“ Well, that’s the plain truth,” replied 
Crockett. “ But what is there against 
that?” 

“ Nothing,” answered the man, hastily. 
“ That is, nothing against that in itself. 
But I understand, colonel, that you mean 
to accompany these two young men to San 
Antonio upon a certain mission ” 

“ Eh ? ” cried Colonel Crockett. 

He looked in amazement at the speaker 
and then at the two boys. 

94 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ This is the first time I 7 ve heard of it,” 
said he. 

Bat Huntley disregarded the statement, 
evidently not believing it. 

“ I take this occasion to warn you,” he 
went on, “ that you are being deceived. 
The errand of these two young men to San 
Antonio is not at all the sort of thing they 
claim. As a matter of fact, it’s just the re- 
verse. They are engaged in a piece of ob- 
vious rascality, and it is only right that 
you should know it before you get into it 
too far.” 

Here the sharp-faced man in the black 
clothes stepped forward. 

“ My name is Davidge, Colonel Crockett,” 
said he. “ Samuel Davidge ; and I’m a 
councilor at law, in Louisville. It is pos- 
sible that you have heard of me.” 

“ Yes,” replied the backwoodsman, and 
there was a world of significance in his 
look and tone, “I have heard of you — 
often ! ” 


95 


IN TEXAS 


His meaning was so plain that some in 
the party laughed outright. Davidge swal- 
lowed once or twice ; but he was a man 
hardened to affront and he went on with- 
out a change of tone. 

“ There is a conspiracy in progress, and 
these two boys are participators in it. 
They have, no doubt, told you some cock- 
and-bull story as to why they are going to 
Texas. But, believe me, sir, they are de- 
ceiving you. If you will give me a few 
moments I will inform you as to the true 
facts, and let you know in plain words ” 

But here he was interrupted by Davy 
Crockett suddenly arising to his feet, send- 
ing his chair tipping over with an angry 
kick as he did so. 

“ Look here, Mr. Davidge,” said he. 
“ Before you go any further in this talk of 
yours I want to say this to you, and,” his 
eyes going to Huntley, “ to you also. 
These two boys have struck me as being 

of good mettle. They stick to what they 
96 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


set out to do, and they are willing to fight 
for what they believe is right. I’ve got 
the whole story from them of why they are 
going to Texas ” 

“ A pack of lies ! ” cried Huntley. 

“ Take care, Colonel Crockett,” warned 
Davidge. “ Take care. They are sharp, 
young as they are. They’ll lead you into 
trouble.” 

“ Well,” said Crockett, and he turned a 
quaint smile upon Walter and Ned, “ I’ve 
been in trouble before now, and I guess I 
can take care of myself, and get out of it 
again, if they get me in. As to their being 
sharpers and telling me a pack of lies, I 
take leave to doubt it. But they have told 
me of your little scheme, Mr. Davidge,” 
nodding to the sharp-faced man, “ and ot 
how you crept on board this boat in secret 
pursuit of them. And of you, Huntley,” to 
the burly man, “ and your hiring a bruiser 
to injure one of them and so prevent him 
from finishing his journey. And I do be- 
97 


IN TEXAS 


lieve that, for it’s about the kind of thing 
you’d both be likely to do.” 

“ Sir,” cried Davidge, with dignity, “ you 
are insulting ! ” 

“ Take care ! ” spoke Huntley, his face 
turning a deep red as he strove to control 
himself. 

“ But,” went on Crockett, “ there has been 
no understanding between these youngsters 
and myself about going to San Antonio 
with them. That little bit of steamboat 
gossip, if you really heard such, is not true. 
However,” and the droll smile came into 
his face once more, and he nodded his head 
shrewdly, “ now that the thing’s been sug- 
gested to me, it wouldn’t be a half bad idea. 
I’ve got lots of time on my hands, and the 
freedom of Texas can wait a bit longer. I 
will go to San Antonio de Bexer with these 
youngsters, and I’d like to see any man, 
black, white or red, lay another straw in 
their way ! ” 


98 


CHAPTER VII 

SURPRISING NEWS 

David Crockett, as is well known, was 
a man of eccentric manner and charac- 
ter ; and eccentric people are given to whims 
and caprices. And it was one of these lat- 
ter which gave Walter Jordan and Ned 
Chandler most invaluable aid. 

“Do you mean it, Colonel Crockett ?” 
asked Ned, after Huntley and Davidge had 
gone away, and the deck party was break- 
ing up. 

“I do,” answered the backwoodsman, in 
his downright way. “ If I’ll not be a hin- 
drance to you, and can help in any way, 
count on me.” 

Needless to say the boys warmly assured 
him that he’d be of the greatest help to them. 

“ With you to post us on what to do,” said 
99 


IN TEXAS 

Walter, “ we’ll have no trouble at all in the 
new country.” 

Crockett smiled. 

“ Well, you know,” said he, “ I’ve had no 
experience there myself.” 

“ But you’ve been in places that were 
pretty similar,” said Walter. “ It’ll not be 
new to you.” 

The boys were in high feather all the way 
down the river ; any fear they might have 
had of Huntley and his friends left them ; 
with so noted a fighting man as Davy 
Crockett as a companion, they felt that they 
were safe from the attempts of even the 
most hardy. 

Huntley and his comrades seemed also to 
feel something of this ; the lads now rarely 
saw them on deck ; they kept themselves 
close, and did nothing to interfere with the 
young travelers, neither in look, word, nor 
act. 

“ But, somehow,” observed Ned Chandler, 

“ I can’t think that they’ve forgotten us.” 
ioo 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ They haven’t,” replied Walter. “ They 
are keeping us in mind, right enough. Only 
from now on they are going to be less open 
in what they do.” 

Steadily upon her course down the broad, 
yellow Mississippi steamed the “ Mediter- 
ranean.” She stopped at many places to 
take on or put off cargo or passengers ; and 
Crockett, so it seemed, was constantly meet- 
ing old friends and making speeches to gath- 
erings which came together to cheer him at 
wharves and landing places. The whole 
country, so it seemed as they got further 
south, was aflame at the idea of Texas and 
Mexico engaging in a conflict. And that 
such a popular and picturesque personage 
as Crockett should be on his way to take 
part in the struggle greatly added to the 
excitement. 

Everything proceeded without any stir- 
ring events, except those noted, until the 
boat drew in at the mouth of the White 
River and Crockett encountered an old 

IOI 


IN TEXAS 


friend and fellow keeper of the border, 
Captain William Cumby. 

“ Dave,” said Cumby, as he shook the 
backwoodsman’s hand, “ I haven’t seen 
you in years ; and I’m ’tarnal glad of the 
chance to do it now, old boy.” 

They conversed for some little time and 
Crockett introduced his young friends. 

“ All going to Texas, eh ? ” said Cumby, 
after he had favored each of the lads with a 
hand-shake which was like the grip of a 
vise. “ Well, if it’s entertainment you’re 
looking for, you’ll find it in plenty, 
youngsters. A friend of mine just came 
up from there and he tells me things are 
biling to such a degree that they’ve got 
considerable trouble keeping the lid on the 
pot half the time.” 

A small, elderly man with a parchment 
face and many deep wrinkles was tying a 
pair of horses to a fence some little dis- 
tance away. Captain Cumby called to 
him. 


102 


\ 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

“Here, Dolph,” said he. “I want you 
to shake hands with Davy Crockett.” 

Dolph looked interested. 

“ Not the Davy Crockett ? ” said he. 

“ That very same gentleman,” answered 
Captain Cumby. 

Dolph approached and gripped Crockett’s 
hand. 

“ Colonel,” said he, “ I’m glad to see you. 
I’ve heard of you for years and ain’t never 
had the pleasure of setting eyes on you be- 
fore.” 

“ Dolph,” said Cumby, after he’d intro- 
duced the boys to the old man, “ they are 
all on their way to Texas.” 

Dolph shook his head. 

“ I know Texas,” said he. “ I've lived 
there for fifteen years, off and on ; and it’s 
a fine country. But it’s pizen just now ; 
and unless you’re going there for a special 
purpose, such as helping to fight old Santa 
Anna, or such, I’d advise you to keep 
away.” 


103 


IN TEXAS 


Captain Cumby laughed. 

“ Dolph don’t believe in strangers going 
into Texas without being warned,” laughed 
Captain Cumby. “ But he’s going back 
himself in a day or two.” 

“ I know what’s to be expected,” stated 
the old man, who evidently was hardy 
and had many years of border experience. 
“ And I belong down there. And when 
the fighting starts once more I want to be 
in it.” 

“ How comes it,” asked Crockett, “ that 
you left just when things was a-shaping 
themselves for the big smash-up ? ” 

“ I had to,” replied Dolph. “ Just plumb 
had to. It all come of me being in the 
party that went with Colonel Milan to 
attack San Antonio.” 

“ So you were with that lot ! ” said 
Crockett. 

Dolph nodded. 

“ And I never want to see a worse 
organized gathering of white men,” said 
104 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

he. “ They’d come together from all parts 
of Texas and the southwest, thinking that 
war was to start at once. The lot of them 
moved toward San Antonio, and were then 
halted. As we didn’t attack, they got dis- 
gusted, and the whole crowd was just melt- 
ing away. Burleson was at the head of 
the force, and one night he made up his 
mind to retreat. This almost brought on a 
mutiny among those who were left. And 
so then Colonel Milan goes to Burleson 
and asks permission to call for volun- 
teers to attack the town. And Burleson 
gave it. 

“ Then the colonel jumped out in front 
of the crowd of men, who were just biling 
with vexation, and waves his hat. 

“ ‘ Who’ll go with old Ben Milan into 
San Antonio ? ’ shouts he. 

“ And in a minute the lot of them were 
around him and shouting like mad. Well, 
we attacked the town, and after a long fight 

from street to street, and house to house, we 
105 


IN TEXAS 


beat the greasers. But right in the middle 
of it whom should I run across but an 
American girl, who was living with a 
Spanish family in one of the houses which 
we broke into." 

“ An American girl ! ” Walter Jordan 
gazed at the speaker eagerly, and then 
turned his glance upon Ned. 

“ Who was she ? ” asked the latter of 
Dolph. 

“ She hadn't an American friend nearer 
than New Orleans," said the old man. “ I 
found that out next day. We didn't know 
what to do with her ; but after putting our 
heads together, the officers made up their 
minds to send her with a family party 
which was headed northeast, and they sent 
me as guide. I left her a month ago, 
safe and sound, with friends at New 
Orleans." 

“ What was her name?" insisted Ned 
Chandler. 

Dolph looked puzzled. 

106 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ It was Ethel/' said he, scratching his 
head. “ But consarn me if I can think of 
the other name." 

“ Norton," suggested Walter. 

“That's right!" said Dolph. Then, in 
surprise : “ But how'd you know it? " 

“ Wait," said Davy Crockett. 

Walter halted in the answer he was about 
to make. 

“ Don't look around," said Crockett. 
“ But I see that sneaking fellow Davidge 
watching us from the upper deck." 

The place where the little party stood 
upon the wharf was in the great shadow 
cast by the “ Mediterranean " as she lay at 
her moorings ; and by a sly glance upward, 
Ned Chandler saw the black-clad, sharp- 
faced lawyer leaning over the rail of the 
boat, and evidently doing his best to hear 
what was being said. 

At once, though with an assumption of 
carelessness, they walked up the wharf, and 

when out of hearing and also out of sight 
107 


IN TEXAS 


behind some bales of cotton, they began to 
question the old Texan. 

In a few moments they were convinced of 
the welcome fact that Ethel Norton, the 
girl whom they were going to San Antonio 
to seek, was in New Orleans. 

“ It looks,” said Ned Chandler, to Walter, 
“ that all we’ve got to do now is to keep on 
board the boat until she reaches New Or- 
leans. It’s turned out no kind of a job at 
all.” 

“ Dad will be delighted,” said Walter. 
“ We’ll have her in Louisville on the next 
up-river boat.” 

“ Don’t hurry your horses,” said Colonel 
Crockett, who seemed to be turning the sit- 
uation over in his mind. “ If you do, 
you’ll wear them out.” 

The boys looked at him quickly, for there 
was something in his voice which caught 
their attention. 

“ There is one thing that’s sure,” said the 

backwoodsman, “ and that is that Davidge 
108 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


and Huntley will keep you youngsters in 
view until they see you have set out for San 
Antonio. If you stick to the ‘ Mediter- 
ranean ’ all the way down the river, they 
will too. At New Orleans they’ll follow 
you ; they’ll find out that the girl is there. 
And so you’ll lose all the advantage which 
Dolph’s information has given you.” 

The point of this argument was plain to 
both boys. 

“ What do you think we’d best do ? ” 
asked Walter. 

“ I have a plan,” said the backwoodsman. 
“ Let me carry it out for you.” 

Both lads agreed eagerly. 

“ Very well,” said Colonel Crockett, 
smiling in his droll way. Then to Captain 
Cumby and the old Texan, “ Wait here a 
bit for us. We’ll be back.” 

With the two boys he started toward the 
“ Mediterranean.” 

“ Now,” said he in a low tone as they 

went, “ you are to order out your baggage as 
109 


IN TEXAS 


coolly as you please. Try and make it look 
as though you’d intended leaving the boat 
at this place from the first.” 

When they reached the boat, the boys 
did as directed ; they had their belongings 
in the clumsy traveling bags of that period, 
and they got them out on deck and down 
the gangplank — Crockett doing the same. 
When they reached the place where Captain 
Cumby and Dolph awaited them, Crockett 
said humorously : 

“ Cumby, you ain’t got no kind of 
knowledge of what’s going on yet. But 
keep a stiff upper lip, and just do what 
you’re told, and we’ll post you by and by.” 

Looking around the edge of the cotton 
bales, Ned Chandler saw the hurrying forms 
of Huntley and Davidge and Barker, bag- 
gage in hand, hurrying down the plank 
from the steamboat. Reporting this to 
Crockett, the latter laughed as one well 
pleased, and then said to the old Texan : 

“ Dolph, see if you can get us some kind 

IIO 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


of a trap for ourselves and our belongings. 
Captain Cumby, if you don’t mind,” to that 
astonished gentleman, “ we’ll pay a little 
visit to your plantation, and if you treat us 
well, we may stay there for a couple of 
days.” 


hi 


CHAPTER VIII 


A LITTLE JOKE 

The Texan secured a conveyance, and 
Crockett and the two boys, with their bag- 
gage, tumbled in. Captain Cumby and 
Dolph mounted their horses, and away they 
went along the dirt road that led from the 
river. The last sight they had of Davidge 
and his friends, they were standing upon the 
wharf eagerly questioning some negroes and 
pointing after the wagon. 

“ They’ll know where we’re going,” said 
Ned to Crockett. 

The backwoodsman nodded. 

“ So they will, youngster,” said he. 
“ And that’s what I calculate on their 
doing.” 

Once at the huge farm, or plantation of 

Captain Cumby, that genial gentleman 

1 12 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


made them feel at home ; and then, after a 
splendid dinner in which game and fish 
from the streams formed a part, Crockett 
took both Cumby and Dolph aside and 
plunged at once into a long, low- voiced 
conversation. 

The two boys sitting comfortably in the 
two big cane chairs heard a series of 
chuckles and guffaws from the three. 

“ The colonel’s got some sort of a joke on 
foot,” said Ned. 

“ And it’s about this matter of ours,” said 
Walter. “ He’s hiding it from us, because 
I can see he wants to make it a surprise.” 

That night as the host, Crockett and the 
two boys were sitting quietly together in the 
captain’s big living-room, the young fellows 
listening to the stories of the veterans, Dolph 
entered, a broad smile upon his wrinkled, 
tanned face. 

“ Well, colonel,” said he, to Crockett, 
“ you’re a cute one. They did just what 
you said they’d do.” 

113 


IN TEXAS 


Captain Cumby gave a shout of laughter. 

“ What ! ” cried he. “ Were you talking 
to them, Dolph ? ” 

Dolph nodded, still grinning gleefully. 

“ According to instructions,” said he, “ I 
just took to hanging around a fence corner. 
And by and by a stranger comes up the 
road — one of the men I see leave the 
steamboat in such a hurry. And he gets 
me in conversation about the country. I 
told him I thought Arkansas was a great 
place, but that I was going to take the 
trail back to Texas to-morrow at sundown. 
He perked up at that and got almighty 
interested. 

“ * Back to Texas ? ’ says he. 

“ ‘ Yes/ says I. 

“ * That’s a mighty long journey to take 
alone/ says he, cunningly enough. 

“ ‘ It would be if I was going alone/ 
says I. 

“ ‘ Oh/ says he, ‘ somebody’s going along 
with you.’ 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ ‘ Three of them/ says I. ‘ We’re off for 
San Antonio to-morrow night.’ 

“ ‘ How are you going ? ’ asks he, very 
innocent like. 

“ 4 Oh, horseback to the Red River. Then 
down that on a boat to Natchitoches. Then 
horseback across Texas.’ ” 

Crockett was vastly amused at this repe- 
tition of the conversation between Dolph 
and the man at the fence corner ; both he 
and Captain Cumby laughed and slapped 
their knees. And now, for the first time, 
the boys got a glimpse of the backwoods- 
man’s intent. 

“ I think I see what you mean to do,” 
said Ned Chandler, eagerly. “ You intend 
throwing them off the scent by letting them 
think we are going on to Texas.” 

“ And they’ll be on their way there, while 
we are steaming down toward New Orleans,” 
put in Walter, well pleased. 

“ That’s about the size of it,” said Colonel 
Crockett. “ But to succeed we can’t let it 

115 


IN TEXAS 


rest as it lies. We must do something fur- 
ther ; for they are pretty cute and not of 
the sort that fly off on a thing without 
feeling as sure as they can that it’s all 
right.” 

But just what further step he meant to 
take the colonel didn't say ; apparently he 
enjoyed the suspense and excitement of the 
boys as much as he did the joke on Huntley 
and his companions. 

Next day the boys spent in riding over 
the country with Crockett and Captain 
Cumby and interviewing a number of 
gentlemen who were interested in recruit- 
ing men and forwarding war material down 
the Red River to be used in the Texans* 
war with Mexico. They arrived at Cumby's 
plantation once more in about the middle 
of the afternoon ; after supper they sat and 
talked of the doings of the day, and the 
prospects of success for Texas. Then Dolph 
entered. 

“ The whole lot of them's snooping 
116 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


around and waiting,” said he. “ And 
they’ve got their horses down the trail 
a piece.” 

Crockett chuckled. 

“All right, Dolph,” said he. “You 
might as well get our mounts ready. 
And then we’ll be off.” 

In a half hour there oame a clatter of 
hoofs outside. 

“Now, youngsters,” said Crockett, “just 
do what I do ; and say what I say, and ask 
no questions.” 

They followed him outdoors. He had 
his long rifle across his back ; his knife and 
hatchet were in his belt. The boys were 
attired, at Crockett’s request, as though for 
a long journey. 

Dolph sat astride a tall horse and held 
three others by the bridles. Crockett 
climbed into the saddle of one and the 
boys mounted the others. Slowly they 
rode down the path to the trail, Captain 
Cumby walking at the side of Crockett, 
ii 7 


IN TEXAS 

And when they reached the trail they drew 
rein. 

“ Well, Cumby,” said Davy Crockett, “Til 
bid you good-bye.” He spoke in a loud 
voice and leaned over in his saddle and 
shook the captain's hand. “ Texas is a 
long way off and war is mighty uncertain, 
so I don't know if we'll meet again or no.” 

“ Anyway, colonel,” said Cumby, “ take 
care of yourself. Do all you can for Texas, 
but don't forget to keep an eye out for 
yourself.” 

“ Good-bye, Captain Cumby,” said Walter 
Jordan, also shaking their host by the hand. 

“ Good-bye, youngster,” returned the cap- 
tain, genially. “ And you, too, boy,” to 
Ned. “ Good luck to you.” 

And so, with a call from Dolph to the 
captain, and a chorus of good-byes from 
all, they shook their reins and set off 
along the westward trail. A mile from 
the Cumby place Crockett said : 

“ Halt ! ” 

1 1 8 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


They all drew up ; the backwoodsman 
got down from his nag, and, stooping, laid 
his ear to the trail. Then he remounted 
once more, and the boys heard him laugh. 

“ They are coming,” said he. “ I heard 
them pounding along at a good smart pace.” 

For at least two miles further they kept 
to the trail, their horses going at an easy 
lope. Then at a word from Crockett they 
left it, and drew up in the deep shadows of 
a thick grove. Fifteen minutes later three 
horsemen appeared, their nags going at a 
sharp trot, and their voices lifted in con- 
versation. 

“ They’ll probably hold to this trail till 
they get to Hamlin,” said the voice of 
Huntley. “ We’ll leave it and strike 
straight across country and so beat them to 
the river. If we can get a boat ahead of 
them we might get into San Antonio three 
days in advance.” 

Davidge was replying to this when the 
distance became too great for the listeners 
1 19 


IN TEXAS 


to hear. Fainter and fainter grew the hoof 
beats on the soft trail, and finally they died 
away altogether. 

“ Well,” said Davy Crockett, and the 
boys noted a pleased chuckle in his voice, 
“ now that we’ve seen them well on their 
way, youngsters, suppose we mount once 
more and ride back to Captain Cumby’s. 
He’ll be expecting us.” 


120 


CHAPTER IX 


TEXAS 

It was a few days after this little hoax 
practiced on the sharpers by Colonel Crock- 
ett that the steamboat “ General Morgan ” 
tied up at the wharf and Walter Jordan 
and Ned Chandler got on board. 

“ This’ll get you into New Orleans in a 
little while,” said the genial backwoodsman 
as he shook hands with them. “ And like 
as not you’ll get your business over and be 
on your way home before I leave this sec- 
tion.” 

“ You’ll stay a while, then,” said Walter. 

“ Cumby tells me it’ll be to my advan- 
tage,” said Crockett. “ They are raising 
money to put a regiment into the Texan 
service, and he thinks I ought to join it.” 

“ Then,” said Ned, “ as we come up the 
121 


IN TEXAS 

river we’ll stop off and see if you're still 
around." 

“ Good ! " cried Crockett, and he shook 
hands with them again. “ Do that, sure. 
And I’ll be glad to see you." 

When the “ General Morgan " steamed 
out into the river, they saw him waving his 
coonskin cap to them ; and they stood at 
the rail as long as they could see the wharf, 
replying. 

“ Now that," said Ned, putting his hat 
firmly upon his head, “ is one of the finest 
men I ever saw." 

“ I think so, too," said Walter. “ He’d 
do anything to serve any one he took a 
fancy to, or any one in need of help." 

The “ General Morgan " was one of the 
swiftest steamers on the river ; and it was 
not a great while before the boys found 
themselves in the city of New Orleans. 
Here the war rumors from Texas were 
thicker than further up the river. The 

recruiting of volunteers was openly going 
122 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


on. Upon posts and dead walls were loud 
sounding placards calling for volunteers. 
All this interested the boys greatly ; but 
they were naturally still more interested in 
the finding of Ethel Norton. 

The address given them by Dolph was 
not at all difficult to locate. But when 
they reached it and talked to the people 
who lived there they received some shat- 
tering intelligence. 

The girl had gone back to San Antonio ! 

“ But why ? ” asked Walter, amazed. 
“ Why should she go back there at such a 
time? Texas is expected to be in a blaze 
of war.” 

“ I know it,” said the woman to whom 
they spoke. “ And she knew it. But 
she saw a newspaper, from Louisville, I 
think, and it had something in it about a 
relative dying and leaving her some money. 
She was afraid she couldn’t establish her 
identity without some papers which she’d 

left behind at San Antonio.” 

123 


IN TEXAS 

“Surely,” said Ned Chandler, “ she didn’t 
go alone.” 

“ No,” said the woman. “ My two sons 
went with her.” 

A little questioning showed that the 
girl’s party had gone almost a week before ; 
they had a wagon and a number of saddle 
horses ; the woman had been told the way 
they’d take, but she had forgotten. 

“ Well,” said Walter, a short time after- 
ward when the two had talked the matter 
over from all sides, “ the best thing I can 
think of is to go back up the river, if we 
can get a boat, and go down into Texas 
with Colonel Crockett.” 

“ Good,” said Ned Chandler, his blue 
eyes snapping with pleasure. “ We’re go- 
ing to get down there after all. For a 
while I thought we’d be cheated out of it.” 

As Walter reasoned the matter out, 
while they’d probably reach San Antonio 
after the rival party of Sam Davidge, those 
gentlemen would be so far ahead that it 
124 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


would work against them rather than in 
their favor. 

“ They’ll get into the town before Miss 
Norton gets back there,” said the boy to 
Ned. “And they’ll be told that she left 
with Dolph months ago. Then they’ll 
head for New Orleans, and so miss her 
altogether. If Colonel Crockett’s ready to 
start soon, we’ll reach Texas not much, if 
any, behind a party that’s traveling over- 
land with a wagon. They’ll have the 
trails to oontend with all the way ; also 
they’ll have to go slow and save their 
horses.” 

They inquired about boats ; and to their 
gratification there was one that very even- 
ing. They boarded her, counting them- 
selves in great luck. She was the “ Ar- 
kansas City,” a strong, bustling little craft, 
which steamed against the dark waters of 
the Mississippi with much valor. 

Reaching Montgomery’s Point again, 

they went ashore. Once more luck was 
125 


IN TEXAS 

with them. Crockett was still at the 
Cumby plantation, but upon the eve of 
starting for Texas. 

“ I'm ’tarnal glad to see you," said the 
backwoodsman, heartily, as he clasped 
their hands, “ and I'm also sorry about 
what’s happened. But if the girl’s gone to 
Texas — all right. We’ll find her there, if 
it can be done any way at all." 

While the two boys had been traveling 
up and down the Mississippi upon their 
hunt for Ethel Norton, Colonel Crockett 
had been working industriously. A great 
sum of money had been subscribed by 
numerous southern gentlemen to what was 
known as the “ Crockett Fund." This was 
to be devoted to the liberation of Texas. 

The backwoods orator had made good his 
reputation ; his speeches for the Texan cause 
had drawn great throngs of people ; his 
words had a wide appeal, and people to 
whom the cry of the new country for aid 

had been faint and far away now heard it 
126 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


plainly for the first time. So, in conse- 
quence of all this, Crockett had grown 
much in reputation and influence. 

Crockett had arranged to travel into 
Texas with a small party which was then 
ready for the journey. The recruiting was 
to go on, and the parties of volunteers were 
to be sent after them into the new country 
as they were armed and equipped. 

As Walter and Ned saw a long journey 
ahead of them through a dangerous region, 
they set about preparing themselves for it. 
First they purchased, with the aid of 
Dolph, a couple of saddle horses of that 
small, tough breed common to the south- 
west. 

“ Those ponies,” said the old Texan, valu- 
ing the purchases with an expert eye, “ will 
give you good service and are worth all 
you’ve paid for them. They are of the 
kind that without much corn will stand 
hard riding and still not be any the worse 
for it.” 


127 


IN TEXAS 


Next the lads bought themselves a rifle 
each. Both knew the use of the weapon, 
having hunted in the Kentucky mountains 
and woods many times. Also they pur- 
chased good, heavy, broad-bladed hunting 
knives and a couple of small hatchets, such 
as are used by woodsmen. 

“ And don’t forget a derringer each,” 
said Colonel Crockett. “ It’s a small thing, 
has very little weight, and can be carried in 
the pocket without trouble. It’s a weapon 
that’s saved more lives at time of sudden 
danger than any other I know of.” 

And so, with their derringers, hunting 
knives, hatchets and rifles, the two young 
fellows felt themselves very well armed in- 
deed. Mounted upon their ponies, attired 
in fringed hunting shirts and broad 
brimmed hats, they looked very well fitted 
to cope with both the savage region and 
savage men ahead of them. 

It was early one morning that the word 

was given ; and off they started across 
128 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


Arkansas to Fulton, where they were to 
get the steamboat. The state of Arkansas 
was at that time very well settled ; its hos- 
pitable people never failed to do what they 
could for the travelers on their way to the 
war ; good food and good beds were to be 
had without trouble. At Fulton, which 
they made without any mishap, they 
boarded a boat which was to take them 
down the Red River as far as Natchitoches. 

This latter proved to be a small place on 
the south bank of the river ; the party 
spent one night in the town, and then set 
off toward the Texan town of Nacogdoches, 
which lay a hundred and twenty miles 
away over the old Spanish trail. 

This latter lay through a wild country in 
which ranged great herds of buffalo, and 
droves of small, active mustangs, wild for 
many generations. 

“ Tough little critters,” said old Dolph as 
he rode with the boys in advance of the 

party. “ You never felt such hard mouths 
129 


IN TEXAS 


in your lives. Don’t care no more for a bit 
than if it was of soft rubber.” 

“ Oh, they are caught, then, and broken ! ” 
said Ned, looking at the hardy little fellows 
as they tore away over the prairies like the 
wind, their tails flying like banners. 

“ Lots of Mexicans and some Americans 
make a business of it,” replied old Dolph. 
“ Them two you boys are riding now once 
raced, wild, on these very plains.” 

It took three days between Natchitoches 
and Nacogdoches ; they camped by the side 
of the old trail at places where they could 
get water ; the air was bracing, the game 
they shot during the day was dressed, 
cooked and eaten, and the lads enjoyed 
every moment of the time. 

About sundown upon the third day they 
sighted Nacogdoches and were warmly 
greeted by the people of the town. Nac- 
ogdoches lay a day's ride west of the Sa- 
bine River. At that time it had a popula- 
tion of about a thousand people ; but as it 
130 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


was a trading place and a stopping point 
for the flow of northern emigration into 
Texas, there was usually two or three times 
that number upon its streets. There was an 
old French fort, built more than a hundred 
years before to guard against the attacks of 
the Indians. 

But there were now Indians a-plenty in 
the town. All the tribes for many miles 
into the wilderness came there to trade, and 
on the evening of the arrival of the party 
under Davy Crockett there were scores of 
them to be seen in the streets. Their nod- 
ding eagle feathers, their fringed buckskin 
leggings and beaded moccasins, their quivers 
of arrows and their long bows and sheathed 
knives gave them a wild and savage look. 
There were also many Mexicans in Nacog- 
doches, and their picturesque costumes, 
huge, jingling spurs, great sombreros, and 
viciously careening horses, contrasted 
strongly with the red or blue shirts of the 
American adventurers, their long boots, and 

131 


IN TEXAS 


modern equipment of arms and horse gear. 
Also there were a number of men in the 
backwoods garb of Crockett and the boys. 
These stood in quiet places, as a rule, lean- 
ing on their long rifles and looking be- 
wildered at the bustle all around them, so 
different from the solitude of their native 
forests. 

“ Rather a lively sort of a town,” said 
Crockett, after they had put up their mounts 
at the tavern and were about to go in to sup- 
per. “ Didn’t expect to see anything quite 
so stirring, Dolph.” 

“ You’ll not see another for some time 
again,” said the old Texan. “ This coun- 
try is not given to towns of any size, though 
I dare say we’ll grow some as we go along.” 

They had a good supper, a good night’s 
rest and an excellent breakfast at Nacog- 
doches ; and then they took horse and 
started upon the long journey toward the 
San Antonio River and the seat of war. 

“ Take it easy, youngsters,” said old 
132 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


Dolph. “ Don't wear out yourselves or 
your ponies. You have a good bit of 
prairie to cross, and it's not to be done in a 
hurry if you hope to keep yourselves in con- 
dition." 

At high noon the party stopped at a 
hurrying little stream that moved through 
a grove of tall trees. Here they rested and 
ate and drank. Away in the distance, 
across the level plains, could be seen a herd 
of grazing buffalo ; and Crockett watched 
them, reclining upon his elbow. 

“ There hasn’t been no such critters as 
them in Tennessee for many a year," said 
he. “ And I’d like pretty well to have a 
shot or two at them before we leave this 
country behind." 

Both Walter and Ned eagerly assented to 
this. The mighty bison appealed to them 
as a worthy subject for the chase. 

“ Let’s have a try at them now," said Ned. 

But Crockett smiled in his droll fashion. 

“ It’s not so easy as you seem to think, 
i33 


IN TEXAS 


youngster,” said he. “ It won’t do to mount 
horse and ride out after game like that. 
They know what a horseman is, and they 
know what a rifle means when it speaks. 
And they are as shy as antelope, for all 
their size. You’ve got to get to windward 
of them or they’ll scent you ; and once they 
do that they are off like sixty.” 

Crockett had no sooner uttered the last 
words than there came a queer shrilling 
sound such as neither of the boys had ever 
heard before, followed by a sudden shock 
of one body striking against another. 

“ Indians ! ” cried Davy Crockett as he 
threw himself flat upon the ground, his rifle 
in his hands, his keen eyes searching the 
green of the noonday prairie. 

“ Look ! ” said Ned Chandler, as he and 
Walter crouched low. 

Walter looked in the direction indicated 
by his friend’s pointing finger. There, 
quivering in the trunk of a tree, was a long 
Indian arrow. 


i34 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ So that’s what it was,” said young 
Jordan, drawing in his breath sharply. 
“ Look, Ned, it’s sunk an inch into the 
wood. It’s good the red rascal made a bad 
shot of it.” 

“ Down all,” warned old Dolph. “ There’s 
quite a party of them ; and they have rifles 
as well as bows.” 

“ What do you think they are, Dolph ? ” 
asked Crockett, coolly, looking to his rifle. 

“ Comanches,” replied the Texan. “ I 
can tell by their head-dress.” 

There came a rattle of rifle shots and a 
cloud of arrows ; and the boys saw a line of 
savage horsemen lift out of the long dry 
grass and come dashing toward the grove. 


135 


CHAPTER X 


ATTACKED BY COMANCHES 

There were four men in the party in the 
grove beside Crockett and Dolph. The two 
lads made up eight in all. 

“ Hold your fire,” cautioned Davy 
Crockett. “ Don't waste any of it, boys ; 
because we’ve got our work cut out for us.” 

There were at least twoscore of the 
savages dashing down upon the grove upon 
the backs of their hardy mustangs. Crockett 
had no idea of the marksmanship of his 
companions. Eight rifles in the hands of 
men who knew how to use them would 
work deadly havoc among the oncoming 
Indians ; but if it should prove that the men 
were not skilled with the weapon, things 
would not be so well. 

But the backwoodsman set his teeth. 

13b 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ It won’t be long before I know/’ said 
he, grimly. 

He threw forward his rifle. 

“ Ready ! ” said he. 

The other weapons went forward ; eight 
black muzzles peered out at the oncoming 
savages. 

“ Fire ! ” said Crockett. 

The rifles spoke sharply ; down in their 
tracks went several of the mustangs ; and 
several others went dashing riderless across 
the prairie. Shrill yells went up from the 
Comanches ; their ponies, startled at the 
sudden blaze of fire from ahead, and the 
fall of their fellows, reared, bucked, and 
tried to bolt off to one side. The Co- 
manches fought with their mounts and at 
last headed them around, together, in the 
proper direction. But by this time the 
whites had reloaded. 

“ Fire ! ” ordered Colonel Crockett, once 
more. 

Again the rifles cracked ; and down went 
i37 


IN TEXAS 


more horses and riders in a plunging heap, 
while the savage band, unable to face the 
deadly tubes which threw death into their 
faces, turned and bounded away over the 
grassy plain beyond range of the white 
men’s fire. 

Crockett rammed a fresh charge home. 

“ Good shooting,” said he, approvingly. 
“ One way or another, boys, we’ve accounted 
for a full dozen of the red rapscallions.” 

The old Texan, together with the others, 
was also charging his piece. 

“ They’re not done yet, colonel,” said he. 
“ The Comanche is a fighting Injun, and it 
takes a good bit to make him change his 
mind, once he’s taken to the war-path.” 

“ I didn’t hear nothing ’bout them being 
at war with the whites,” remarked one of 
the men. 

“ No more did I,” said Dolph. “ But, 
then, you can never tell. They are always 
rising. Let some rascal of a white man 
cheat a Comanche at a trading place and 
138 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


that Injun goes and tells his friends. Like 
as not, a small war follows, until they think 
they’ve got satisfaction.” 

“ Well, that might be what this is,” said 
Crockett, his eyes upon the party of sav- 
ages which had come to a halt about a half 
mile out upon the prairie and were listen- 
ing, apparently, to the eloquence of a chief. 
“ But I’ve got an idea of my own.” 

“ What’s that?” asked the Texan. 

“ These redskins had some of their people 
in Nacogdoches last night and they were 
watching for some small party that was to 
leave the town. We happened to be that 
party. It’s my idea they have taken a leaf 
from the white man’s book, and are nothing 
more or less than robbers.” 

Old Dolph nodded. 

“ Well,” said he, “ I’ve heard of them 
doing things like that before now. But, 
whatever they’re after, they mean to give 
it another try.” 

As he spoke the Texan pointed out across 
i39 


IN TEXAS 


the prairie. The Comanches had remounted 
and were riding forward in an open fashion, 
their bows and rifles held ready for use. 
But at some distance from the grove they 
halted ; dismounting, they made their 
ponies lie down. Then stretched at full 
length behind this living breastwork, they 
leveled their guns, and fitted arrows to 
their bows. 

From behind trees and logs, the white men 
watched the preparations of the savages. 

“ That is a kind of a cute little dodge,” 
spoke Crockett. “ I never see an Injun do 
it before.” 

Old Dolph nodded and said : 

“ It’s a favorite trick with the Comanche 
and the Apache. These Injuns of the 
plain are ‘ horse ’ Injuns; and they’re 
different in their ways from the redskins 
you meet with in the wooded countries 
and the mountains. They spend most of 
their time catching and breaking ponies 
and learning tricks in riding. There are 
140 



THE COMANCHES HAD REMOUNTED 


IN TEXAS 

some fine horsemen on these southwestern 
plains ; but the finest of all are the Co- 
manches.'' 

Here the rifles of the Indians spoke. But, 
if they were excellent horsemen, as the 
Texan said, they were not good marksmen, 
for their bullets went wide. Their arrows, 
however, flew true, and many a feathered 
shaft struck with a deadly thud into the 
trunk of a tree behind which stood one of 
the whites. 

A man near Crockett fired, rather excit- 
edly, in return, and the bullet did no more 
than knock up the dust. 

“ Take care of your powder,” said Crockett, 
from behind his tree, but never shifting his 
eyes from the dry grass where the savages 
lay behind their horses. “ Don't waste a 
single charge. Take good aim ; and don't 
fire until you see the whites of some one's 
eyes.'' 

There was an interval of inaction ; the 
savages were apparently reloading. 

142 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ When they have loaded,” said old Dolph, 
“ they’ll take a peep around their ponies to 
see what things look like over this way. 
So watch for them.” 

“ But don’t fire unless you are sure of 
your Injun,” said Crockett, who knew there 
was only a limited supply of powder in the 
party ; and as there was no knowing how 
long the attack would continue, he wished 
to be as sparing as possible. 

Sure enough, as the old Texan had said, 
when the Comanches had finished loading 
they showed a desire to know the exact po- 
sition of their intended victims. A tufted 
head appeared around the side of a mustang. 
Dolph's rifle cracked like a whip ; there 
was a yell of pain and then silence. 

“ I got him,” said the old Texan, and he 
calmly reloaded his rifle. 

Again came the flight of arrows and the 
reports of the Comanche rifles ; but as be- 
fore, the shafts and bullets did no harm. 
Crockett fired when he saw the plumes of a 
i43 


IN TEXAS 


savage show above the back of a horse. It 
so chanced that the speeding bullet struck 
the mustang; it leaped up, forgetting its 
training ; its rider was now exposed to the 
fire of the whites. Three rifles cracked ; 
and the Comanche threw up his' arms and 
sank back. 

Seeing the deadly nature of the white 
men’s marksmanship, the savages grew wary. 
Only now and then an arrow flew ; occa- 
sionally a bullet lodged in the ground or in 
a tree trunk. 

An hour passed in this way. It was now 
almost three o’clock ; and Davy Crockett as 
he crouched behind his tree grew both weary 
and restless. 

“ They are cunning varmints,” said he, 
“ and they are holding off until nightfall. 
Under cover of darkness they’ll creep up on 
us and beat us down by weight of numbers.” 

“ Darkness will favor them,” spoke old 
Dolph. “ And if we are here when it falls, 
we are goners.” 


144 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ Well,” said Crockett, in his dry way, 
“ I don’t see how we can get away with 
thirty pairs of eyes watching us.” 

Here Walter Jordan spoke. 

“ Colonel Crockett,” said he, “ I have an 
idea.” 

“ Good I ” said the backwoodsman. 

“ We can’t see the Comanches as they lie 
behind their mustangs,” said the lad. “ But 
suppose I climbed one of these trees. I 
could have a good sight of them then, and 
could drive them off with a couple of shots, 
maybe.” 

Crockett smiled and twisted his good-hu- 
mored mouth drolly to one side. 

“ That’s a very good plan, youngster,” 
said he. “ But it has one big drawback. 
How are you going to get up the tree ? The 
redskins would tumble you over before you’d 
get half-way.” 

He saw the disappointed look upon the 
boy’s face, and added : 

“ If we were hard pressed and had to do 
H5 


IN TEXAS 


something on the jump, it would be a thing 
we could try. But, as it stands, I think I’ll 
make a little experiment that’ll be safe.” 

Then turning his head he glanced toward 
the tree which concealed the old Texan. 

“ Dolph, who do you reekon’s the best 
shot in the lot of us ? ” 

“ You are,” replied the veteran, promptly. 
“ Who’s next?” asked Crockett. 

“ I’d like to say I am,” spoke Dolph, 
humorously. “ But I can’t, and stick close 
to the truth. Jed Curley’s the best shot 
here after yourself, colonel.” 

Jed Curley was a young adventurer of 
about twenty-five with whom both Walter 
and Ned had become very friendly. He 
was a powerfully built fellow, and his clear 
eyes and steady nerves gave him the work- 
ing basis of a sharp-shooter. 

“ All right,” said Crockett. “ Just where 
are you located, Jed ? ” 

“ Right here, colonel,” came the voice of 
the young man. 


146 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ All right. Lie low, but listen to what 
Fm going to say to you.” 

“ I’m listening.” 

“I’m going to fire at that pinto Injun 
pony,” said Crockett. “ Not to kill it, 
though ; I’ll be careful of that. You see, 
that pony jumping up a while ago gave me 
a notion.” 

“ I see it, colonel,” came the voice of 
Jed. “You scare up the mustang, that 
leaves the Injun uncovered, and before he 
can get shelter, I draw a bead on him.” 

“ Exactly,” answered Crockett. “ Ready, 
Jed?” 

“ All ready.” 

There was a moment’s silence ; then 
Crockett’s rifle rang out. One of the ponies 
leaped up with a snort ; Jed Curley’s piece 
cracked instantly and the red rascal behind 
it lay silent in the grass. 

Quickly the two men reloaded ; again 
Crockett fired ; once more a wounded 
mustang uncovered its master; a second 
H 7 


IN TEXAS 


time the sharp-shooter’s rifle spoke, and the 
master lay as silent as the other. 

Within twenty minutes this performance 
had been gone through three times ; then a 
panic seemed to strike the savages ; they 
leaped up, urged their horses to their feet, 
mounted and turned to flee. 

“ A volley, boys ! ” yelled Crockett. 
“ Take good aim.” 

The volley pealed from the six rifles that 
were still loaded, and four more of the 
Comanches fell. Then the remainder of 
the band, with startled yells, went flying 
toward the east. 


148 


CHAPTER XI 


THE BUFFALO HUNT 

Rapidly reloading, the little party of 
whites stood upon the verge of the grove 
and watched the band of redskins race 
away across the plains. 

“ From the looks of things,” said old 
Dolph, “ I’d say they’ll not be back this 
way.” 

Crockett shook his head and laughed. 

“ No,” said he, “ those Comanche gentle- 
men are completely scared. That was a 
trick they’d not thought about ; and as 
they hadn’t time to work it out, they 
thought, very like, it was some kind of 
1 bad medicine.’ ” 

However, they made up their minds 
not to trust to appearances ; and mount- 
ing their horses they rode away toward 

149 


IN TEXAS 

the southwest, going at a long, slow 
lope. 

Night fell, and still they continued. 

“ It's best to put all the distance between 
ourselves and that party of reds that we 
can,” said Crockett. “ They’re the kind of 
varmints you can never count on to do any- 
thing.” 

When they went into camp an hour or 
so after dark, they lighted no fires, but ate 
food that required no cooking. 

“ It makes hard chewing,” grumbled old 
Dolph. “ But then it can’t be helped. 
Better a tough bite of grub than an Injun 
arrow that’d make me bite the dust.” 

The night was cool, but they made beds 
of grass, wrapped themselves in their 
blankets, and with their saddles for pillows, 
they slept soundly. For the first time since 
they started from the Mississippi River, 
however, they had a guard for the camp, 
Jed Curley, Ned Chandler and old Dolph 

taking turns until sunrise and breakfast. 

150 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


They pushed on rapidly that day, keep- 
ing a sharp lookout for the savages. But 
none came in sight ; and so, to rest their 
ponies, which had been severely tried, they 
halted a good two hours before sundown 
and went into camp upon the banks of a 
small creek whose margin was thick with 
trees. 

Walter Jordan and Ned Chandler had, dur- 
ing the day, tried their marksmanship upon 
some flocks of prairie chickens ; and though 
these were difficult game to bring down 
with a rifle, they had bagged a couple of 
brace. The chickens were now stripped of 
their feathers and dressed ; each was skew- 
ered with a ramrod, and put to roast over 
the red coals. Flour was mixed and baked 
into flap-jacks ; and so they ate a meal 
such as was enjoyed by the riders of the 
plains. 

A guard was kept that night, also ; but 
there were no signs of Comanches, and they 
slept undisturbed. After breakfast next 

151 


IN TEXAS 


morning they mounted once more and 
started upon their journey. 

It was a splendid country which they now 
crossed, not so level as that of the previous 
day’s journey, but rich in promise of the 
yield to the farmer in the days to come. 

“ A wonderful range for grazing live 
stock,” said Crockett, his observant eye 
taking in all the details and possibilities of 
the region. “ There’ll be grass in long 
seasons, and there’s plenty of water.” 

Old Dolph agreed with this. 

“ It’s the best grazing country in the 
southwest,” said he. “ To prove that just 
notice the herds of buffalo and wild 
mustangs that roam through this country. 
They know the places where the good grass 
grows.” 

There was a silence for some little time, 
and then Ned Chandler said : 

“ I’ve heard a good deal about buffalo 
hunting, and I’d like to have a try at it be- 
fore we reach San Antonio.” 

152 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ So should I,” spoke Jed Curley. “ It 
seems as though it would be fine sport.” 

“ Well / 7 said Davy Crockett, “ as I’ve 
said, I shouldn’t despise the chance myself, 
boys. It’s been many a year since I’ve had 
a run after a herd of buffalo, and if we sight 
any, we’ll take half a day off our journey 
and have a shot at them.” 

This filled both Ned and Walter with 
enthusiasm ; and all day they looked for- 
ward eagerly to the possibility of sport. 
But they were disappointed ; the sun was 
getting low, and they were casting about for 
a camping ground when suddenly old Dolph 
was heard to call out to Crockett : 

“ Hello ! Look there ! ” 

All turned and they saw him pointing to 
the ground some little distance away. It 
was near the brink of a spring that oozed 
from the ground in a sort of hollow ; and 
all about it were the marks of trampling 
hoofs. 

“ Buffalo ! ” said Colonel Crockett. 
i53 


IN TEXAS 


The entire party gathered about the spring 
and examined the tracks. 

“ There were only about half a dozen / 7 
said the old Texan, as his sharp eyes fol- 
lowed out the hoof prints. “ But there’s a 
herd near by. These were only stragglers, 
come to look for water.” 

Supper was cooked and eaten that even- 
ing amid considerable excitement ; and as 
they lay wrapped in their blankets after- 
ward, the boys listened to the stories told 
by Crockett and old Dolph of mighty buffalo 
hunters who had gone before and of hunts 
that had come to be parts of the history of 
the west. Story after story followed, the 
other men taking part, telling of their own 
experiences in chase of the mighty beast of 
the plains, or those of others whom they 
had known. Both youngsters dropped off 
to sleep with the voices still coming out of 
the shadows around the camp-fire ; and lit- 
tle wonder that they dreamed of great herds 
of buffalo whose hoof beats were like the 
i54 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


thunder, and whose mighty rush seemed 
to shake the earth. 

At sunup all were astir, and breakfast 
was quickly over ; then they looked at their 
arms and ammunition, and climbed upon 
their horses’ backs. 

“ Now, boys,” said Crockett, to the two 
young fellows who rode beside him, “ as you 
never rode the buffalo range before, it’s just 
as well that you know something about the 
matter. Above all, look out for the buffalo 
bull ; you’ve heard of the grizzly bear and 
the panther and other dangerous beasts, and 
they are dangerous enough, to be sure. But 
the buffalo bull, especially when he’s 
wounded, is one of the worst brutes that a 
man ever faced.” 

“ So, when you draw a bead on one,” said 
old Dolph, who rode near by, “ be sure and 
aim at a place that’ll make the shot fatal. 
If you don’t, you’ll have a job on your 
hands that’ll be hard to finish.” 

The tracks of the buffalo they’d been fol- 
155 


IN TEXAS 


lowing finally merged into a wide, much 
trampled trail, evidently made by hundreds 
of the animals. 

“ Just as I though t,” said the old Texan, 
in a satisfied tone. “ They belonged to a 
big herd, and now have joined the rest of 
them.” 

Along the broad, trampled track of the 
buffalo rode the hunters, their eyes ahead to 
catch the first glimpse of the game. 

“Some ponies don’t like the smell of 
buffalo,” said Dolph ; “ and they are hard 
to get up to a herd. Others again don’t 
care anything about them and are likely to 
run you into danger if you don’t look out. 
The best kind of a horse is the kind that 
understands what you are about — that the 
thing’s a hunt — that there’s a time for get- 
ting in close, and a time for getting away.” 

“ I suppose,” said Walter, “ they must be 
trained to that.” 

“ Mostly, yes,” said Dolph. “ But not 
always. Some mustangs take to the thing 
156 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


naturally. This one that I'm riding is one 
of that kind. He knows all about buffalo. 
But it may be that none of the others know 
anything. So give one eye to the game and 
the other to your pony.” 

It was about noon that they sighted the 
herd ; far off on the plains the great shaggy 
beasts were grazing on the dry grass, scat- 
tered over a great extent of country. The 
hunters halted at the first glimpse of them, 
and held a consultation. 

“ The wind is dead from the west,” said 
Crockett. 

“ It’d be well if some of us stayed here,” 
said old Dolph, “ and if some others rode 
around to the east, and others to the north. 
Then at a signal — say a rifle shot — we could 
all ride down on them from three directions 
and scatter them all over the prairie.” 

This was considered a good idea. So 
Dolph and two of the men were left at the 
halting place and the other five pushed 
around to the east. Here Jed Curley and 
i57 


IN TEXAS 


one other man were left ; Crockett and the 
two boys held on until they reached a point 
south of the grazing buffalo. 

The great animals were slowly moving 
about upon the range, never suspecting that 
their hunters were so close at hand. 

“ All ready ? ” asked Colonel Crockett. 

“ All ready,” answered the boys in a 
breath. 

They rode forward at a sharp gallop. 
Crockett’s rifle rang out in signal to the 
others waiting to the north and east ; and 
the shot also served to bring down a cow 
which stood near. Startled at the shot, the 
great heads lifted and the bulls stared 
about for a sight of the enemy. Then the 
rifles of the boys spoke and another of the 
beasts fell. 

The air was filled with bellowings ; away 
toward the north moved the herd. But in 
a few moments the reports of rifles from 
that point turned them toward the south 
and east. Jed Curley and his companion 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


were now heard from ; and as their rifles 
were discharged, the buffalo halted in a 
panic. For a moment there was a pause ; 
then helter skelter they went in every di- 
rection over the plains, their tails up and 
their heads down. 

The hunters had all reloaded their pieces 
and they now dashed in among the scat- 
tered herd, each selecting his particular 
quarry. The pony which Walter Jordan 
rode was a hard-mouthed little beast, with 
a temper all its own. He fancied he’d have 
some trouble with it if it proved to be one 
of those mounts which Dolph said didn’t 
like the smell of buffalo. 

But it was the contrary. The mustang 
seemed to enter into the spirit of the chase 
with such excellent good will that the boy 
was delighted. He passed several cows and 
yearling bulls ; but held his fire for bigger 
game. His eyes traveling over the racing 
buffalo had lighted upon a huge bull, a 
monstrous black fellow with a huge head 
i59 


IN TEXAS 

and the shoulders and hump of a giant of 
his kind. 

Fired with ambition and encouraged by 
the willingness of his horse, Walter dashed 
toward the black bull. When within fif- 
teen yards he dropped the reins, steadied 
his pony with his knees and raised his long 
rifle. Clear and sharp the report rang out ; 
the great bull stopped in his tracks, threw 
up his huge black head and bellowed with 
rage. 

“ Watch that fellow ! ” yelled Jed Curley 
as he dashed away in pursuit of another 
bull. “ He’s only wounded ! ” 

Walter remembered what old Dolph had 
said regarding wounded bulls, and wheeled 
his horse away. Rapidly he began recharg- 
ing his rifle ; his eyes went from this oper- 
ation to the wounded bull ; for the moment 
he forgot his horse entirely. Suddenly the 
mustang went to his knees ; he had planted 
a forefoot in a prairie-dog’s hole, and Wal- 
ter, unable to stop himself, went flying 
160 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


over his head, his rifle dropping from his 
hands. 

Like a cat, the mustang scrambled to its 
feet and darted away ; and the boy stood 
dismounted and weaponless, facing the great 
black bull. 


161 


CHAPTER XII 


A FIGHT WITH MEXICANS 

The bull which faced Walter Jordan was 
apparently the monarch of the herd. He 
had wicked little eyes which were now red 
with rage and the pain of his wound. His 
hoofs tore at the sod, his jaws champed, 
and a rumbling bellow sounded deep in his 
throat. Before him was his foe. Somehow 
this creature which stood before him had 
wounded him. And now he was going to 
be revenged ! 

Lowering his giant head the bull charged 
at Walter ; the boy stood his ground until 
the animal was almost upon him ; then he 
sprang aside, and the great bulk of the mad- 
dened brute tore by him like a tornado. 

Then Walter leaped to the place where 
his rifle had fallen. The charge of powder 

and ball had been rammed home ; the piece 
162 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


only required priming, and the boy was 
hurriedly attending to this very necessary 
thing when the black bull wheeled, sighted 
him, and charged once more. But this time 
the beast was more cunning. Apparently 
he had profited by the one fruitless charge ; 
he seemed to have weighed the situation 
and planned to overcome it. 

The charge was slow ; the head was not 
held so low ; the little angry eyes were fixed 
upon the boy. This time Walter knew he 
could not wait until the last moment and 
then leap aside out of danger. The bull 
meant to trample him under his sharp 
hoofs and gore him to death. But for all 
he realized this, his hands were steady as 
they worked at the priming of his rifle. 
The seconds passed and he realized, with a 
cold feeling at his heart, that the piece 
would not be ready to fire before the mon- 
ster was upon him. His breath stopped, as 
though to meet the shock. Then he heard 
a voice cry out : 


163 


IN TEXAS 


“ Steady, boy ! ” 

Like the crack of a whip a rifle rang 
out ; the black bull halted ; the great head 
drooped ; then a shudder ran through its 
mighty frame, and it toppled over on its 
side — dead. 

“ I call that a close shave,” came the voice 
of Crockett. “ Another moment, youngster, 
and you’d have tyeen under his feet.” 

Dazed, and with a sense of everything 
being a very long distance away, Walter 
turned and saw Colonel Crockett and old 
Dolph ride up. Crockett slipped from his 
horse and began to reload his gun, while 
the old Texan sat admiring the huge beast 
which had fallen before the backwoods- 
man’s aim. 

“ Well, Colonel Crockett,” said the young 
fellow, as his wits slowly came back to 
him, and he realized what had happened, 
“ I have you to thank for that.” 

Crockett drove home the charge of 

powder, and smiled in his usual droll way. 

164 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


" I have you to thank," said he, “ for 
giving me a shot at the finest bull I ever 
saw. What do you think, Dolph ? " 

The wrinkled veteran shook his head. 

“ He's a mighty beast," said he. 
“ There are not many like him on these 
prairies, if any." 

In a half hour the herd of buffalo had so 
scattered over the plain that the hunters 
had brought down a dozen or so in all ; 
and as the ponies were tired by the sharp 
work, and they had no desire uselessly to 
slaughter the bison, they halted in the pur- 
suit and returned to the place where their 
leader had been left. 

“ Well," said Crockett, “ we've had a 
very good little hunt of it while it lasted. 
And now if we’re going to have any of the 
meat, we'd better set about it and then be 
on our way." 

They cut sufficient tender meat from the 
carcass of a yearling which old Dolph had 

been careful to shoot for just that purpose, 
165 


IN TEXAS 


and with this carefully packed, they re- 
sumed their journey toward the southwest. 

The day’s ride was filled with “ buffalo ” 
talk ; and the camp-fire that night saw a 
roasting of juicy strips of the yearling’s 
meat and a fervent wishing that the party 
might fall in with such royal sport at least 
once more before they had reached their 
journey’s end. 

Next day they crossed the Brazos ; and 
a few days further the Colorado came in 
sight. As they caught the sheen of its 
waters under the afternoon sun, they also 
caught the glint of something harder. 

“ Cold steel,” said Crockett, shading his 
eyes with both hands, and looking keenly 
ahead. 

A party of almost a score of horsemen 
were advancing, the sun striking their rifle 
barrels. But it was the glitter of the points 
of long lances they carried that had at- 
tracted the attention of the band under 
Crockett. 


1 66 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ Mexicans,” said old Dolph as he took 
a long look at the party. “ No one else 
carries a spear, except the Comanche ; and 
these ain’t redskins.” 

“ Well,” said ^Colonel Crockett, and he 
turned his eyes from the oncoming horse- 
men to the country round about, “ I 
reckon the Mexicans, as a class, ain’t any 
too well disposed toward Americans. So 
we might just as well pick out a place to 
meet them.” 

Some little distance to the left was a sort 
of knoll, heavily wooded and overlooking 
the river ; this seemed a likely sort of place 
for a stand against an enemy, so Crockett 
gave the order, the mustangs were headed 
toward the knoll, and the Americans took 
their station upon it. 

As they were ascending its side, the 
Mexicans saw them for the first time, and 
halted. Then a half dozen of them rode 
forward to have a closer look at the north- 
erners ; having gained a knowledge of their 
167 


IN TEXAS 


scanty numbers, the Mexicans uttered loud 
cries of triumph, shook their weapons at the 
party upon the knoll, and then rode back 
to their friends. 

Crockett ordered his men dismounted ; 
the mustangs were placed among the trees 
and fastened by the bridles. Then with 
ready rifles the little band faced the oppos- 
ing riders of the plains. 

With a sudden fan-like movement the 
Mexicans spread out in a sort of half circle 
and dashed at the rising ground upon which 
the Americans had taken their station. 

“ Ready ? ” said Crockett. 

“ All ready/' was the answer. 

“ Fire I ” came the order. 

The deadly rifles spoke ; a half dozen of 
the Mexicans went down in the dust. 

Swiftly the long weapons were reloaded. 
Once more they were leveled and again they 
flashed out their messages of death. This 
time the Mexicans halted in their rush ; 

half their company lay upon the ground. 

1 68 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


With one accord they tugged at their bri- 
dles, whirled their active little horses around, 
and bolted off across the plains. 

“ Hello,” cried Walter Jordan, as he rose 
up and gazed after the flying horsemen. 
“ Look there ! ” 

“ It's a boy,” shouted Ned Chandler, “ and 
he's tied to one of the ponies.” 

“ An American, too,” said old Dolph, as 
he drove home the ball into the barrel of 
his rifle. 

In the rear of the Mexicans raced a pony 
which bore upon its back, evidently tightly 
bound to the saddle, an American boy of 
about sixteen years. 

“ A prisoner,” said Jed Curley, throwing 
forward his deadly rifle. 

“ Take care, Jed,” warned Crockett. 
“ Don't kill or cripple the mustang so that 
it'll fall ! The boy might be hurt ; for tied 
up as he is, he can't help himself.” 

Jed’s rifle sounded ; but apparently he 

missed, for the pony continued. 

169 


IN TEXAS 


“ I was too careful,” said Jed. “ You try, 
colonel.” 

Crockett threw his long rifle to his 
shoulder ; its report was answered by a leap 
from the running horse ; the animal went 
painfully on for some little distance upon 
three legs ; then it slowed down and finally 
stopped altogether. 

At this the Americans mounted in haste 
and rode across the prairie to the place 
where the wounded pony stood, with the 
boy, trussed and helpless, upon his back. 

Jed Curley cut the bonds with his hunt- 
ing knife. The young fellow slipped from 
the back of the horse and sat upon the 
ground rubbing the circulation back into 
his arms and legs. 

“ They had these ropes so tight,” said he, 
“ that I could hardly breathe.” 

He was about sixteen years of age, a 
bright-looking lad with, apparently, plenty 
of spirit and good sense. 

“ What’s your name, sonny ? ” inquired 
170 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


old Dolph, as he sat his horse looking down 
at him. 

“ Sid Hutchinson,” answered the boy. 
“ And I thank you, gentlemen, for saving 
me from the Mexicans.” 

The party dismounted and Walter and 
Ned helped young Hutchinson rub back his 
circulation. 

“ How did they come to get you? ” asked 
Davy Crockett. “ Where are you from ? ” 

“ From New Orleans,” answered the boy. 
“ I was crossing Texas to San Antonio with 
a wagon, my brother, and a girl.” 

Both Walter and Ned paused in their op- 
erations ; they gazed at the boy and then at 
each other. 

“ A girl ? ” demanded Walter. 

“ What was her name ? ” asked Ned. 

“ Ethel Norton,” replied Sam Hutchinson. 
“ And I haven’t even the smallest idea where 
she or my brother is now.” 


CHAPTER XIII 


THE PLOTTERS ONCE MORE 

For a moment after the statement by Sid 
Hutchinson, the two boys and Crockett 
looked at each other in wonder. 

“ Well,” said the colonel, finally, “ it’s 
like finding a needle in a haystack, boys ; 
but we’ve found it — all by chance.” 

In a few words Walter had told young 
Hutchinson the necessary facts of his hunt 
for Ethel Norton ; and Sid looked amazed. 

“ Well, look at that ! ” said he. “ Did 
you ever hear anything like it before! ” 

“ But tell us what’s happened,” urged 
Ned Chandler. “ How did the Mexicans 
come to get you ? ” 

The boy got upon his feet. 

“ We had about as nice and quiet a 
journey as you’ve ever seen,” said he. 

“ Nothing happened until yesterday, when 
172 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

we crossed the Colorado and went into 
camp. Then we met three Americans.” 

“ Three ! ” said Walter. 

“ Yes,” replied the other boy. “ They 
were, strangely enough, coming from San 
Antonio, and were on their way to New 
Orleans.” 

Again Ned and Crockett and Walter ex- 
changed glances. The eyes of the back- 
woodsman were full of laughter. 

“ Well, well ! ” said he. “ And of course 
you all got to talking and saying how queer 
it was that you were going from New Or- 
leans to San Antonio.” 

“ Yes, of course,” admitted the boy. 

“ Did the three Americans seem in- 
terested ? ” asked the backwoodsman. 

"They did,” said Sid Hutchinson. 
“ That is, for a while. Then they seemed 
to shut up tight ; and they didn’t say 
much more about anything.” 

“ Did they give any names ? ” asked 
Walter. 


i73 


IN TEXAS 


“ One’s name was Huntley— I think they 
called him colonel. Then there was a 
sharp looking man in black — Davidge 
they called him. I forget the name of the 
third one.” 

“ Well,” asked Davy Crockett, “ what 
happened ? ” 

“ We thought they meant to camp with 
us that night,” said Sid. “ But they 
changed their minds and went away a 
little after dark.” 

“ When were you attacked by the Mexi- 
cans ? ” asked Crockett. 

“ This morning. We’d just broken 
camp and had got the mules hitched to 
the wagon, when they came down on us.” 

“ What became of Miss Norton ? ” asked 
Ned, feverishly. 

“ The last I saw of her,” said Sid, “ she 
was on a mustang, tearing away toward the 
southwest with my brother Bill beside her. 
Then I was cut off, and headed for the 
river, meaning to swim my pony across. 
l 74 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


I'd got to this side, but the Mexicans knew 
the country and in a little while had me 
surrounded. Then they took me back 
across the river and began following the 
trail of those of their band who’d rode after 
Ethel Norton and my brother Bill." 

“ Yes, yes," said Walter and Ned in a 
breath. 

“ We’d gone about six or eight miles," 
said the boy, “ and then we heard firing 
ahead ; some of the Mexicans went forward 
to find out what it meant ; they came back 
in a little while full tilt and away we struck 
back for the river once more. We'd crossed 
and had ridden about an hour on this side 
when we sighted you folks." 

“ Haven't you any idea what the firing 
meant that you heard when the party 
stopped and turned back ? " 

Sid shook his head. 

“ I'm not sure," said he. “ But if my 
judgment's any good, I'd say that the lot 
that had gone in chase of Ethel and my 
i75 


IN TEXAS 


brother had been given a good stiff run, and 
in the end had fallen in with some Ameri- 
cans who'd sailed into them.” 

“ In that case,” said Walter, “ Miss Nor- 
ton would be all right.” 

Sid nodded. 

“ That's what I think,” said he. 

“ There's only one way to make sure,” 
said Davy Crockett. “ And that's to cross 
the river and find out.” 

The pony which Sid Hutchinson had 
been bound upon was not fit to ride ; but 
there were a number of riderless mustangs 
standing and trotting about on the plain, be- 
longing to Mexicans who had fallen in the 
fight. One of these was caught without 
trouble, and Sid mounted at once. 

In the course of an hour they reached a 
ford of the Colorado and crossed ; Sid led 
them to the site of the encampment where 
the Mexicans had first attacked them ; and 
at once Crockett and Dolph caught the trail 

of the pursuers of Ethel Norton and Sid's 
176 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


brother Bill, and away they rode, the re- 
mainder of the party following with ready 
rifles. After a hard ride they came to a 
place which was thickly grown with timber. 

Sid Hutchinson called to Crockett. 

“ Here’s where we stopped when we heard 
the firing,” said he. “ It was somewhere on 
the other side of the timber.” 

The party pushed their way through the 
trees ; and in a little while they came upon 
the scene of what must have been a hard 
fight. 

“ And once more the Mexicans got the 
worst of it,” said Jed Curley. 

Dead men and horses lay about ; but of 
living men there was no trace. Dolph rode 
about the field and narrowly scanned the 
field for indications. 

“ Here’s the way the Mexicans went when 
they left,” said he, pointing to the ground. 
“ And here’s the direction the people took 
who fought them.” 

Both Walter and Ned examined the last 
1 77 


IN TEXAS 

trail eagerly ; both had the same thought in 
his mind. 

“ Wagon tracks/' said Walter. “ Here 
they are.” 

“ Hurrah ! ” shouted Ned excitedly. 

“ Ethel and Bill's gone off with the party 
that rescued them,” spoke young Hutchin- 
son. 

“ And toward San Antonio,” said Davy 
Crockett. 

The little band followed the trail for a 
few miles and then went into camp. Early 
in the morning they were off once more. 
But the party ahead of them were evidently 
hard riders, for the distance between them 
did not seem to decrease. 

“ It’s my private opinion,” said Colonel 
Crockett, “ that this trail is a half dozen 
hours old. More than likely the folks 
ahead have ridden a good part of the night.” 

In the afternoon they crossed the Guada- 
lupe River and pushed toward San Antonio 

de Bexer. They did not reach the town un- 
178 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


til long after nightfall ; and then Crockett 
rode directly to the headquarters of Colonel 
Travis, where he was warmly welcomed. 

Travis was a stalwart young man who had 
gone into Texas much as Crockett himself 
had done ; and he shook hands with the two 
boys cordially. 

“ I'm glad to see you," said he. “ Every 
state in the Union seems to be sending men 
and boys to help the cause along. In a 
little while we shall have an army large 
enough for work against Santa Anna. And 
then we can begin active operations.” 

The boys were then introduced to “ Jim ” 
Bowie, known throughout the southwest as 
the first user of the celebrated “ Bowie 
knife.” He was a big light-haired man, 
with the blue eyes of the fighter, and had 
crossed the prairies from Louisiana, where 
he had his home, to take part in the coming 
struggle. 

“ There's hardly a day,” said he, after he 
had greeted the party with rare good will, 
U9 


IN TEXAS 

“ that I don't meet a few newcomers. To- 
day it's Colonel Crockett and his friends ; 
yesterday it was an American girl and boy 
who were racing across the plains near the 
Colorado with a crew of Mexicans after them 
full tilt.” 

Both Ned and Walter grasped Colonel 
Bowie’s arm. 

“ A girl ! ” said Ned. 

“ Where is she now ? ” demanded Walter. 

Bowie looked from one to the other of the 
boys in surprise. 

“ She’s just now with Mrs. Allison, and, 
I reckon, sound asleep,” said he. “ But 
there’s the boy in the next room there.” 

Sid Hutchinson leaped through the door 
and into the adjoining room with a whoop. 
A young fellow of about nineteen sat read- 
ing an old newspaper in a corner ; and in a 
moment he and Sid had their arms about 
each other and were prancing about the 
room like mad. When the first great rush 
of joy was over, Sid introduced his brother 
180 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

to Walter and Ned who had followed him 
into the room, and in a few words explained 
the facts of his capture and rescue and of 
Walter and Ned’s search for Ethel Norton. 

Bill Hutchinson listened in surprise. 

“ Well,” said he, at length, “ it does beat 
all how things come about, doesn’t it? 
Ethel will be glad to see you.” Then turn- 
ing to his brother he added, “ Do you re- 
member those three men who rode up to our 
camp the other night and then rode away ? ” 

“ I do,” said Sid. 

“ Well, what would you say if I told you 
I saw them among the Mexicans who chased 
me and Ethel?” 

“ I’d believe it,” said Sid, quietly and 
promptly. And then he told his brother 
who the three were, and the nature of their 
errand to Texas. Bill listened, amazed. 

“ Hello ! ” said he. “ Hello ! What’s 
this ! ” 

“ They are rogues,” said Walter. “ And 

as Sam Davidge is to come into the estate 
1 8 1 


IN TEXAS 


in case Ethel Norton does not claim it, 
there’s no telling what they would do, 
should she fall into their hands.” 

“ That’s good sense,” remarked Bill 
Hutchinson. “ And I say the same. Well, 
I guess Ethel’s all right now, though. 
She’s with Mrs. Allison, and she is an Amer- 
ican woman of the right kind.” 

“ Where does Mrs. Allison live?” asked 
Ned Chandler. 

“ At the end of town which you must 
have entered,” replied Bill. “ It’s a small 
’dobe house with a garden about it. It 
stands all alone.” 

Both Walter and Ned remembered the 
house, for they had passed by its very door. 
There had been a light burning in one of 
the windows and they had remarked how 
lonely it looked, as they rode toward it over 
the trail. And now, when they learned 
that the girl they had come so far to see was 
there, and recalled the loneliness of the 

place, they looked at each other. 

182 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ Suppose,” suggested Walter, “ we go 
over that far and take a look at things.” 

Ned was willing and eager, and the two 
Hutchinsons showed an interested willing- 
ness. 

As the boys passed through the room 
where Crockett sat with Travis and Bowie 
and some others, they, in a low voice, told 
him where they were going. 

“ It's rather late,” said the backwoods- 
man. “ And like as not they’ll all be abed. 
But,” with a nod of the head, “ it never 
does any harm to have a look around.” 

San Antonio was one of the oldest Span- 
ish settlements in Texas. The site was first 
occupied in 1715 as a military post to pro- 
tect the region from the French, then occu- 
pying Louisiana, and also to guard the 
Franciscan friars whose missions, planted 
along the San Antonio River, were liable to 
attack from the Indians. 

It was an important town, having a pop- 
ulation of about twenty-five hundred, and 

183 


IN TEXAS 


was a celebrated trading place for the In- 
dians and the Mexicans of the northern 
provinces. 

Under the Franciscans, a great number 
of Indians had been taught the laws of 
civilization and religion ; great irrigation 
ditches had been cut to water the soil ; fine 
stone buildings and churches had been 
erected. But during the period of Ameri- 
can filibustering expeditions, and the revo- 
lution during which the Mexicans threw off 
the rule of Spain, the town had been left 
practically unprotected ; the attacks of the 
fierce people of the plains, the Comanches 
and Apaches, had been frequent ; and so 
the churches and stone buildings were now 
ruins, the great ditches choked and useless, 
the civilized Indians had disappeared. 

So it was a very much decayed San 
Antonio through which the four boys 
passed on their way to Mrs. Allison's 
house. 

The moon was shining, and the little 
184 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


’dobe building stood silent and pale under 
its cold light. As the boys stood some 
little distance away, they heard the whinny 
of a horse and the stamp of hoofs. But 
they did not attribute any importance to 
this ; horses were to be heard and seen any- 
where in towns like San Antonio. But 
when they saw two indistinct forms hold- 
ing close to the shadows thrown by the 
house, they became all attention. 

“Take it quietly now,” warned Walter 
Jordan. “ It might mean nothing at all.” 

Upon their hands and knees they ap- 
proached the house ; or at least three of 
them did, for Sid Hutchinson had noise- 
lessly left them, walked softly along the 
deserted street for a space, and was now 
speeding as hard as he could go for the 
American headquarters. 

Walter and Ned had left their rifles 
behind them, but each possessed a derringer 
which Crockett had advised them to buy at 
the beginning of the journey west from the 

1 85 


IN TEXAS 


Mississippi. But Bill Hutchinson had no 
weapon except a hatchet which he carried 
in his belt. 

There now came a rattling sound and a 
jingling as though something had dropped 
to the ground. 

“ They are forcing the door,” whispered 
Ned Chandler. 

The boys pressed forward, cautiously, but 
with more speed. The door of the house 
was open ; as they stood beside it, not sure 
of their next movement, and not wanting 
to make a false one, there came a sudden 
and startling scream from the interior. At 
this they sprang inside, the derringers and 
the tomahawk held ready for use. 

Upon their appearance there came a shot 
and a confusion of voices which Walter and 
Ned recognized as those of Huntley and 
Barker. Then there was a smashing of 
glass. 

“ This way ! ” cried the voice of Colonel 
Huntley. 

1 86 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


“ He's going through the window at the 
other side of the house," cried Ned. 

The three lads darted out, and around 
the house. Under some trees not far from 
the trail were a dozen or more mounted 
men. Huntley was running toward these, 
the fainting form of a girl in his arms. 

Like young panthers both Walter and 
Ned sprang upon him ; he dropped the girl 
under the weight of their attack, and with 
the fury of a giant fought them off. Barker 
scrambled upon his horse, and his voice 
was now heard shouting to the Mexicans. 

“ Shoot, you yellow idiots ! Why don’t 
you shoot ! ” 

“ Five hundred dollars to the man who 
gets the girl ! ’’ came the voice of Sam 
Davidge. 

Rifles and small arms were flung forward 
in the moonlight; Huntley drew a der- 
ringer and advanced upon the boys. But 
before a shot could be fired there came a 
rush of hoofs ; old Dolph, Jed Curley and a 
187 


IN TEXAS 


dozen more, with Sid Hutchinson in their 
midst, dashed upon the scene. 

Huntley, seeing them, leaped upon his 
horse and, after firing a wild shot at the 
boys from the pistol, wheeled his mount 
and tore away down the trail with the 
Mexicans. 

Like the wind, Dolph, Jed and Sid 
Hutchinson and their party tore by in 
pursuit. From the distance came the 
sound of hoofs and the rattle of shots; 
then the boys lifted up the fainting Ethel 
Norton and carried her back to the house. 


CHAPTER XIV 


THE BATTLE OF THE ALAMO 

The scream and the pistol shot had 
awakened Mrs. Allison ; and when the boys 
appeared in the doorway with the fainting 
girl, she was awaiting them. 

“ Put her down there,” she directed 
calmly, pointing to a couch covered with a 
huge buffalo robe. 

Under the attentions of Mrs. Allison, 
who was one of the women of the border, 
and had been for years accustomed to 
sudden dangers and calls for help, Ethel 
Norton quickly revived. In a very little 
while she had recovered from her fright 
and was able to talk ; and then Bill Hutch- 
inson introduced Walter and Ned, and they 
told their story once more. 

“ Oh ! ” cried the girl, when she had 


IN TEXAS 

heard it all and realized the nature of the 
danger she had just escaped, “ how can peo- 
ple be so cruel and so wicked ! And,” 
looking from one to the other of them, 
“ how can I thank you all for what you 
have done for me ? ” 

They were still talking the situation over 
eagerly when the sound of horses’ hoofs 
came from the trail. It was the party 
under old Dolph and Jed. 

“ They never stopped,” cried Sid Hutch- 
inson as he slid from the horse of Jed, for 
he had been mounted behind that adven- 
turer. “They fired back at us, but kept 
right on running.” 

“ He means,” said Jed, with a laugh, “ all 
of them that were able to.” 

“ What of Huntley and Davidge and 
Barker?” asked Ned, anxiously. 

Old Dolph shook his head. 

“ They are among the ones not able to,” 
said he. “ You youngsters need never be 

uneasy about them varmints any more.” 

190 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

For about a week after this Ethel Norton 
was quite ill, and still another week passed 
before she felt able to travel ; and the boys 
remained in San Antonio watching the 
preparations going on for receiving Santa 
Anna and his army ; and also preparing 
for their own long journey across the plains 
toward the Red River. 

Davy Crockett gave them much good ad- 
vice upon this point. 

“ Wait a few days,” said he ; “ I think a 
party will be going your way and you can 
join them. And if there is not, we'll have 
old Dolph guide you back. We can spare 
one man, I suppose.” 

The boys waited well into the third week ; 
but there was no sign of a party traveling 
in this direction. So Crockett consulted 
with Travis, Bowie and old Dolph, and it 
was decided that they delay no longer. 

“ You were sent to get the girl to Louis- 
ville,” said Crockett to the boys, “ and I 

guess you'd better do it right away. In a 
191 


IN TEXAS 


country as unsettled as this one is, too 
much delay is dangerous.” 

“ But you are going to stay, colonel ? ” 
said Walter. 

“ As long as Texas has a foe out in the 
open, I'll stay,” replied the backwoodsman. 
“ Some day I may go back to Tennessee ; 
but that all depends on how things go with 
me. War, you know,” and he smiled in his 
droll way, “ is a mighty uncertain thing.” 

During the remainder of that day the 
boys, together with the Hutchinson brothers 
and old Dolph, looked to their arms and 
horses. A mustang was presented to Ethel 
by Colonel Crockett; and at noon on the 
day following the girl, the veteran Texan 
and the four boys mounted and waved a 
good-bye to the heroes they were leaving 
behind — and heroes they were — heroes such 
as the world has seldom seen. 

Upon the day on which the young trav- 
elers recrossed the Colorado, sentinels upon 

a roof top at San Antonio noted the ad- 
192 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


vance of a Mexican force. It proved to be 
Santa Anna with an army of seven thou- 
sand men. The Texans quickly retreated 
across the river to the Franciscan mission 
buildings, known as the Alamo. For there 
were only one hundred and fifty men in 
the garrison, and they could not hope to 
face seven thousand in the open. 

The Alamo buildings consisted of a 
church, with a convent and hospital be- 
hind it. Then there was a yard enclosed 
by a stone wall. The entire place was too 
much for so small a force to defend ; so 
Travis very wisely stationed his men in the 
church, which was a stone structure with 
powerful walls and facing the river and 
town. 

“ We have fourteen guns mounted on the 
walls,” said the young North Carolinian as 
he swept the plaza before the mission with 
his keen eyes. “And I reckon the Mexi- 
cans will know they’ve been in a fight if 
they ever get within reach of them.” 
i93 


IN TEXAS 

Behind these cannon the Texan rifle- 
men awaited the movements of the force 
of Santa Anna. That commander at once 
grouped his guns in battery formation and 
opened fire; the defenders of the Alamo 
replied with their guns ; but their deadly 
rifles were the most effective weapon ; with 
them they picked off the gunners as berries 
are picked from a bush. 

Travis, while the way was yet open, sent 
out a message to the Texas government 
asking that aid be sent them. All the time 
the force of the Mexicans was growing 
larger. Colonel Fannin set out from Go- 
liad with three hundred men and four 
pieces of artillery, to the aid of the Texans 
at the Alamo. But he had little provision, 
his ammunition wagon broke down, and 
he hadn’t enough oxen to get his cannon 
across the river. Fannin at length gave up 
the attempt and returned to Goliad. How- 
ever, a bold leader, at the head of thirty- 

two daring followers, arrived on the night 
194 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


of March first and slipped through the 
Mexican lines. This was Captain Smith 
and his little command from Gonzales ; and 
the defenders welcomed them with cheers. 

On March fourth Travis sent off a last 
message to the Texan authorities ; this was 
carried by the brave Captain Smith, who 
set his comrades’ lives above his own safety. 
The message said in part : 

“ . . . although we may be sacrificed to 
the vengeance of a Gothic enemy, the vic- 
tory will cost that enemy so dear that it 
will be worse than a defeat. ... A 
blood red flag waves from the church of 
Bexer and in the camp above us, in token 
that the war is one of vengeance against 
rebels. These threats have had no influ- 
ence upon my men but to make all fight 
with desperation and with that high souled 
courage which characterizes the patriot who 
is willing to die for his country ; liberty 
and his own honor ; God and Texas ; vic- 
tory or death ! ” 


i95 


IN TEXAS 


On the day following the sending of this 
message, Santa Anna assembled his troops 
for an assault upon the Alamo ; but it was 
not until the succeeding day that the at- 
tack was delivered. Twenty-five hundred 
troops were divided into four columns com- 
manded by Colonels Duque, Romero and 
Morales; they had bars, axes and scaling 
ladders. All the Mexican cavalry were 
drawn up around the mission to see that 
no one escaped. 

Early in the morning the four columns, 
at the sound of the bugle, dashed forward ; 
the Texan cannon and the long rifles spat 
death in their faces. The column under 
Duque recoiled from the north wall, their 
commander badly wounded. East and 
west the attack also failed ; the Mexicans 
swarmed in a shouting mob upon the north 
side. Their officers shouted and struck at 
them, forcing them to scale the walls. 
Once more the sleet of bullets from the 

American rifles came forth, and once more 
196 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


the attackers fell back. But again the 
officers forced them to the walls ; this time 
they scaled it and fell over it in crowds. 
By sheer weight of numbers they forced 
the Texans across the convent yard and 
into the hospital. 

The captured cannon were turned upon 
the ’dobe walls of the hospital and smashed 
them in ; a howitzer, loaded with musket 
balls and broken iron, was fired into the 
building and the Texans fell like sheep. 
Then a desperate hand-to-hand conflict 
ensued. Crockett, Travis and Bonham 
fought like the heroes of old. Knife, pistol 
and clubbed rifle played their parts. Jim 
Bowie had been wounded while defending 
the wall early in the fight. He lay upon 
a bed, coolly firing one pistol after another 
as the Mexicans showed themselves. But 
he was finally killed by a musket shot. 

From room to room fought the Texans, 
contesting every step of the way ; the proof 

of their desperation is the great number of 
197 



A DESPERATE HAND-TO-HAND CONFLICT ENSUED 



WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


Mexicans who fell in this bloody close- 
quarters fight ; forty-five bodies were 
counted in one spot after all was over. 

Travis fell here, and so did the brave 
Colonel Bonham. With his loved rifle 
clubbed in his hands and with many a foe- 
man stretched beside him, fell that gallant 
Tennessean, Davy Crockett, defending a 
doorway. Like fiends, the Mexicans, urged 
by the bloody minded Santa Anna, stabbed 
and shot, and when the fight was done, 
every Texan in the Alamo was dead. 

News traveled slowly in those days and 
the boys had reached the Mississippi once 
more, they had said good-bye to Sid and 
Bill Hutchinson and Dolph, and were 
about to embark upon a steamboat for 
Louisville, when a New Orleans newspaper 
caught their eyes. And in it they saw the 
first news of the fall of the Alamo, and of 
the noble death of Colonel Crockett. 

Ethel Norton was as shocked at the news 
199 


IN TEXAS 


as they were, for the boys had been telling 
her of the backwoodsman’s good nature and 
rare qualities of heart. 

“ And to think,” said she, the big tears 
starting in her eyes, “ that all his high 
hopes should end in death.” 

“ But it will not be for nothing,” said 
Walter Jordan. “ Men like Colonel Crock- 
ett and Travis and Bowie do not die this 
way without making a stir. Who knows 
but their death will so arouse Texas and 
the Texans that they will not wait to be 
attacked — that it may make them carry the 
war to Santa Anna, and so set their country 
free.” 

And it was not long after the three had 
arrived in Louisville, and Ethel Norton 
with the services of the elder Mr. Jordan 
had proved her identity, that news from 
far-away Texas showed Walter’s judgment 
to have been good. Texas had declared 
herself free ; Santa Anna had marched 

another army against her, and was met by 
200 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

a force under the celebrated Sam Houston 
on the San Jacinto River. The Mexicans 
were utterly defeated, Santa Anna was a 
prisoner, and the Lone Star flag had taken 
its place among the emblems of the world. 


201 


CHAPTER XV 


SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF DAVID CROCKETT 

David Crockett was born August 17, 
1786, at Rogers ville, Tennessee. He came 
of Irish ancestry, his grandparents settling 
in Pennsylvania. Afterward they traveled 
southwest and made their home in what 
was then the wilderness of Tennessee. In 
one of the almost countless Indian attacks 
upon the settlers they were both killed. 

It is not known if John Crockett, their 
son, and father of David, was born on the 
ocean crossing to America, or in Ireland. 
At any rate, he grew up in America, and 
fought gallantly in the Revolution. 

He married a Mary Hankins who lived 
in that rich farming region near the town 
of York, Pa. They had three daughters 
and six sons ; David was the fifth child, 
202 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 

and first saw the light of day on the banks 
of the Nolachuky River, Tennessee. 

At the age of eight years David was en- 
gaged by a drover to help take care of his 
cattle. But after two weeks on the road he 
ran away, joined a wagon train and re- 
turned home. 

Soon after this young Davy got into a 
scrape at school. He had a fight with a 
boy much larger and older than himself 
and thrashed him ; then, fearing what the 
schoolmaster would say, he played truant. 
When Davy's father heard of this he sought 
out his son. But the boy eluded him. And 
so we find him in the situation of fearing 
to go to school and also fearing to go home. 
So he ran away, engaged with another 
drover and traveled into Virginia. 

The boy drifted about the country for a 
time, working for drovers and wagoners ; 
once at Baltimore he was upon the point of 
going to sea, but the teamster with whom he 

was then engaged refused to allow him to go. 

203 


IN TEXAS 


After suffering a great deal of bad usage, 
he made up his mind to go back home to 
Tennessee. To escape a whipping at the 
hands of his father he had endured hard- 
ships that were worse than a thousand 
whippings. He dreaded what they’d say 
to him and more than once hesitated on 
the journey home. But he was welcomed 
with open arms. 

Now came the time for Davy to show the 
stuff he was made of ; his father was in 
debt, and the boy, now large and strong 
and fifteen years of age, set to work to pay 
this off. It was accomplished in a year’s 
time, and by hard, steady toil, such as 
none of the family had ever dreamed him 
capable of. 

The boy up to this time had little or no 
education ; and so he set about getting one. 
In six months he had learned to read and 
write and do sums in arithmetic ; this was 
all the schooling he ever had. 

And through all this time the woods of- 
204 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


fered the young man a fair chance to grat- 
ify his love for wandering and hunting. 
Little by little his skill grew, and before 
many years he was considered the most 
deadly marksman in all Tennessee. 

While still very young, Crockett married 
an Irish girl, Polly Finlay ; and they began 
their housekeeping in a log cabin. At- 
tracted by the hunting grounds and an op- 
portunity to better his condition in life, he, 
his wife, and two boys later crossed the 
mountains with their household goods into 
Lincoln County and settled on Elk River. 

Here in this paradise of the hunter 
Crockett’s skill grew and grew. There were 
many mighty hunters in that day, but not 
one whose celebrity approached that of 
Crockett. 

But then the second war with England 
came on ; Tecumseh rallied the Indian 
tribes against the white settlers who had be- 
gun to occupy their hunting grounds. 

The Creek chief, Weatherford, attacked 
205 


IN TEXAS 


Fort Mimms with a war party of fifteen 
hundred braves. The fort was taken by 
surprise, and out of the garrison of two 
hundred and seventy-five only seventeen 
escaped. 

This was the beginning of the Creek War. 
General Andrew Jackson was made com- 
mander of the American army sent against 
the savages. And in this army Crockett 
served as a volunteer. 

During the campaign against the Creeks, 
Crockett undertook many dangerous scout- 
ing trips and took part in the battle of Tal- 
lushatchee, and also that of Taladega. His 
daring brought him prominently before the 
public eye in all the movements of the army 
against the Indians. Afterward he re- 
enlisted and joined Russell's Spies, with 
whom he performed many difficult feats of 
enterprise and courage. After the battle of 
Enotochopko his time again expired, and 
once more he reenlisted and fought to the 
end of the Creek War. 

206 


WITH DAVY CROCKETT 


Two years after his return home his wife 
died ; and not a great while afterward he 
married once more. It was about this time 
that he went upon an exploring expedition 
into the Creek country, where he was taken 
dangerously ill. 

Later he removed with his family into 
the section bought by the government from 
the Chickasaw Nation. He established a 
home at the head of Shoal Creek, and was 
shortly after elected justice of the peace, 
and later still, colonel of a regiment of 
frontier militia. 

As time went on, Crockett grew more and 
more in the public eye ; he was just the sort 
of picturesque character that would please 
the rough and ready settlers ; his marksman- 
ship, his ready, backwoods eloquence made 
him the popular choice and he was sent to 
the Legislature. Afterward he ran for Con- 
gress and was defeated. 

But it takes more than a single defeat to 

discourage a man like Crockett ; and so the 
207 


IN TEXAS 


following election he ran again and was 
elected. He created a sensation in Washing- 
ton during his stay in the city during his 
first and second terms as a Congressman. 
All the big cities of the east were also de- 
lighted to greet and entertain him upon one 
occasion when he visited them. But on his 
third attempt for the Congressional seat, he 
was defeated. Then he went to Texas. 

There is not a great deal known of Colo- 
nel Crockett’s trip across the plains to the 
town of San Antonio ; and even less of his 
doings after he got there. But that he 
fought as brave a fight as any of the other 
heroic defenders of the Alamo, those who 
knew him best were positive ; and his name 
will live always in the annals of the Great 
West. 

Other Stories in this Series are : 

IN KENTUCKY WITH DANIEL BOONE 
IN THE ROCKIES WITH KIT CARSON 


208 



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